Comment by ryao
2 days ago
It is possible to get >100% from solar + batteries. All energy needs can be handled using only a small fraction of solar radiation reaching the planet’s surface.
That said, using it in aircraft (and a number of boots/submersibles) economically is an unsolved problem, but many other places can use it.
Using it in aircraft cheaply is an unsolved problem. We know how to turn CO2 and water into jet fuel with enough energy input. It's just an order of magnitude more expensive than the fossil alternative.
What a koinkidink, I just saw a news about a research platform for exactly that (okay, it's for ships but still) starting now, with the idea being to use surplus offshore wind electricity which otherwise would go unused: https://www.dlr.de/en/tt/latest/news/2025/synthetic-fuel-fro...