NEW YORK – The United States has been working hard and relentlessly to solve the problem of its growing energy demand, which becomes especially urgent during the approaching summer. They had already dabbled in “virtual energy” to meet peak demand, and now none other than Elon Musk has declared that we could use a giant fusion reactor in the sky to supply the entire USA.

A nuclear fusion reactor “in the sky”: the idea from Elon Musk that is raising concerns

Elon Musk is a renowned South African-born tycoon who has made a place for himself in history by driving such successful and revolutionary companies as Starlink and Tesla. On the other hand, he has also been the talk of the town on many occasions for his controversial forecasts and seemingly random decisions. Nevertheless, his companies have been key to advancing sustainable technologies.

Now, the man who turned electric cars into a profitable business shocked everyone when he stated without any preamble that we can take advantage of a fusion reactor “in the sky” to supply energy to the entire United States. As if this were not enough, he went on to detail a well thought out plan to carry out this revolutionary idea, which would provide the American country with clean, renewable energy.

The entrepreneur explained that the sun is like a natural fusion reactor in the sky, and that we are squandering most of its potential as a sustainable energy source. According to Musk, if they were to install a 160km by 160km solar farm, they could power the entire U.S. power grid with no greenhouse gas emissions, no transportation costs, simple and inexpensive maintenance.

A photovoltaic city? It could be “in the sky” to revolutionize solar energy

A photovoltaic plant of this size would cover a territory equivalent to a city, making Elon Musk’s idea incredibly ambitious. However, if this project is implemented, it could provide an entire country with totally environmentally friendly energy and would be a quantum leap towards the goal of eliminating our carbon footprint.

The businessman’s idea has caught the attention of the whole world, as they wait to see if he will be the one to launch a crusade that could be the starting point for a photovoltaic model that other countries could imitate. The expectation grows when considering that, in 2016, Elon Musk acquired the SolarCity company dedicated to producing solar cells and photoelectric batteries.

A project of this scale in solar energy could result in big business for a tycoon who already has investments in electric cars and photoelectric systems. Thousands of solar panels and batteries would be required to store the electricity and all this infrastructure would be provided by SolarCity, something that could position this company among the most important in the world.

A vision of the future: what could we achieve at a short-term

Elon Musk is at the helm of companies such as SpaceX, which seeks to open up the commercial space travel market; Tesla, which has sold thousands of high-performance electric cars around the world; and StarLink, a company that is creating a global network of satellites that could provide satellite connectivity to anyone, anywhere.

It is clear that the entrepreneur’s vision points towards the revolutionary, the pioneering, so he is an excellent candidate to be the first to supply an entire country taking advantage of the potential of the “fusion reactor” we have in the sky, in the words of Elon Musk.

Solar energy in other countries

If this idea were to be put into practice, it would be great news for America, where we have already made our own advances in photovoltaic energy. In fact, the controversial giant solar plant in Morocco was going to be a project of similar scope, although, unfortunately, it remains on hold to date.