# What if we "lily ponded" the oceans of the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 20, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556 "2021-05-20T14:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/21 "2021-05-20T17:08:40Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Once we’ve covered the entire ocean and prevented nearly all evaporation of water, the climate will be very different. Maybe there won’t be storms. We won’t know until we try! Once you’ve covered the entire ocean and prevented nearly all evaporation of water, the climate will be very different. Mainly, no evaporation means no rain. No rain means you’ve killed all the plant life on earth. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/22 "2021-05-20T17:10:26Z")
In this case I was using a table from a solar installer to figure out the solar generation capacity by area for LA [6kWh/m2/day](https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/solar-insolation-maps.html/#:~:text=Modern%20solar%20panels%20are%20around,15%20watts%20per%20square%20foot.) was considered average. NREL supplied the [cost of utility scale PV](https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy19osti/72133.pdf) power in this PDF on slide 7. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/23 "2021-05-20T17:18:51Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Apparently upwards of 50% of the oxygen produced on our planet is from the ocean. It will stop doing that if you cover it up. How much do you like breathing and remaining alive? Meh… Anyone who thinks that building ~1 km scale structures to operate in a marine environment should really consider taking a few courses in ocean engineering. The marine environment is really the harshest conditions to operate equipment in, combining constant hydrodynamic loads, massive storm conditions, and a highly corrosive environment. This is notwithstanding the unpredictable effects of wide scale deployment of a system that would interfere with the natural hydrological cycle. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/24 "2021-05-20T17:23:05Z")
Easier to just pave Arizona and install everything there. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/25 "2021-05-20T17:25:28Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Easier to just pave Arizona and install everything there. - Better than paving Paradise. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/26 "2021-05-20T17:26:51Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > In this case I was using a table from a solar installer to figure out the solar generation capacity by area for LA [6kWh/m2/day](https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/solar-insolation-maps.html/#:~:text=Modern%20solar%20panels%20are%20around,15%20watts%20per%20square%20foot.) was considered average. > > NREL supplied the [cost of utility scale PV](https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy19osti/72133.pdf) power in this PDF on slide 7. I’m not doubting your numbers, but kWh is a measure of energy and W is a measure of power and I’m trying to find out what conversion factor you are using. A 100W panel, under an assumption of 6 hours of equal sunlight a day produces 0.6 kWh/day. Which means $1.13/Watt installed becomes $0.19/(kWh/day). ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/27 "2021-05-20T17:32:17Z")
I agree that it would be awkward and more costly, but I also wonder about the ecological implications of covering the oceans with “lily pads”. Also, what about violent weather? I can’t imagine how they would survive severe ocean storms. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/28 "2021-05-20T17:35:10Z")
It’s certainly possible I screwed up I don’t deal with solar installations. I’m having trouble following you though. If it takes 100W panel to generate the 0.6kWh/day then it is $113 to do the installation and 1kWh/day should cost $188. Unless I’m missing dividing by 1000 somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/29 "2021-05-20T17:40:36Z")
No, you’re right. I confused myself calculating things backwards from what we need for your calculation. 12,204,971kWh/day = 12,204,971kWh/(6h of sunlight) = ~2.3 million kW which means a lower price for the installation. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/30 "2021-05-20T17:48:09Z")
OK, that makes sense so we’re looking at $12,204,971 kWh/day x $188 so the installation cost should be $2,294,524,548 + 12,957,000,000 or about $14B or about 15.5 years to pay out. That seems much more reasonable. Thanks for the help. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/31 "2021-05-20T17:51:54Z")
You just dropped the “aircraft carrier” part of the cost by a factor of 1000 … ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/32 "2021-05-20T17:54:46Z")
Damn it. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/33 "2021-05-20T17:58:52Z")
This kind of thinking is exactly why we’re all going to die and bring everything down with us. And sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum\_45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum_45/32/3385_2.png) [@eburacum\_45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum_45)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/34 "2021-05-20T18:18:50Z")
I’m reasonably sure we will make something like this in due course. The lilly pads could be made of polymer, and filled with fresh water (which floats). If we cover the surface of the Pacific oceanic desert with solar-power generating lily-pads, we could power the world twenty times over. One interesting possibility is that the bulk of the human population could live on such pads, allowing the land surface of the Earth to revert to wilderness. I wouldn’t worry too much about depleting oxygen - the Pacific gyre contributes very little oxygen to the atmosphere, and if we start running out we could covert some of the lilly pads into algae farms. This technology could change the least productive sector or the ocean into the most productive. No, we don’t have the technology to do this today - but we probably will have in a few centuries, and with sufficiently sophisticated environmental management we could reverse the Anthropocene mass extinction and relocate teeming humanity to custom-built lily-pad cities. No need to go to Mars - vast areas of the Earth are underutilised at present. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/35 "2021-05-20T20:55:06Z")
> [@eburacum\_45](#): > > If we cover the surface of the Pacific oceanic desert with solar-power generating lily-pads, we could power the world twenty times over. Sure, but we could do the same thing with deserts on land, and it’s a lot easier to build infrastructure on land. It’s more stable, it’s less corrosive, we have a lot of experience doing it. > [@eburacum\_45](#): > > No need to go to Mars - vast areas of the Earth are underutilised at present. Same thing about the ocean. We are not land-limited. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum\_45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum_45/32/3385_2.png) [@eburacum\_45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum_45)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/36 "2021-05-20T21:08:14Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Sure, but we could do the same thing with deserts on land, and it’s a lot easier to build infrastructure on land. It’s more stable, it’s less corrosive, we have a lot of experience doing it. I’m slightly less enthusiastic about colonising the deserted land regions of Earth, since they contain a rich (if sparse) biota of land animals and plants, which we might not want to lose. Recent surveys of the barren parts of the Pacific have only found a few (mildly interesting) microbial populations - I’m not very motivated about saving microbes for posterity. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/37 "2021-05-21T02:53:57Z")
> [@eburacum\_45](#): > > Recent surveys of the barren parts of the Pacific have only found a few (mildly interesting) microbial populations > [@](#): > > The ocean is a desert with it’s life underground > And a perfect disguise above ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/38 "2021-05-21T03:25:35Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > The ocean is a desert with it’s life underground > And a perfect disguise above Dammit, who let that horse in here?! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/39 "2021-05-21T07:43:05Z")
Look, all I’m saying is that if we put _enough_ plastic in the sea, so there’s more plastic than water, for example, surely it won’t even be our fault any more, it’ll be the ocean’s fault for getting its water in our plastic, and that will be good, right? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556/40 "2021-05-21T15:50:04Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Dammit, who let that horse in here?! It felt good to be out of the rain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-we-lily-ponded-the-oceans-of-the-world/942556.md?page=3)