If Biofuel Land Turned Solar Could EVs Run the World

Biofuels as an early climate solution

If Biofuel Land Turned Solar Could EVs Run the World: In the early 2000s, biofuels were promoted as a cleaner alternative to petrol and diesel. Countries such as Brazil, the United States, the European Union, and Indonesia invested heavily in ethanol and biodiesel production using crops like sugarcane, maize, and palm oil.

Biofuels currently supply around 4% of global transport energy. However, once emissions from fertilisers, processing, and land-use change are included, the overall climate benefit is often limited.

Static GK fact: Photosynthesis converts less than 1% of incoming sunlight into plant biomass under real-world conditions.

Land as a critical climate resource

The most significant limitation of biofuels is not fuel output but land use. Agricultural land is finite and competes with food production, forests, and ecosystems. Land used for energy crops cannot simultaneously act as a carbon sink through reforestation or rewilding.

Recent estimates indicate that around 32 million hectares of land are directly used for biofuel crops worldwide. This area is comparable to the total landmass of a large European country.

Static GK Tip: Land-use change emissions can take decades to offset, even when biofuels replace fossil fuels.

Solar power potential on existing biofuel land

If the same 32 million hectares were covered with solar panels, the energy output would be dramatically higher. At current average efficiencies, this land could generate approximately 32,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually.

This figure is nearly 23 times higher than the total energy obtained from global biofuel production. The difference arises from technology: modern solar panels convert 15–20% of sunlight directly into electricity.

Comparison with global electricity demand

Global electricity generation in 2024 was roughly 31,000 TWh. This means solar installations on existing biofuel land could theoretically match today’s total global electricity production.

The contrast highlights how energy density per hectare differs sharply between biological fuels and direct solar conversion.

Static GK fact: Solar photovoltaic efficiency has increased steadily since the 1970s, while photosynthetic efficiency remains biologically constrained.

Implications for electric transport

With the rapid rise of electric vehicles, transport is increasingly shifting from liquid fuels to electricity. Fully electrifying global road transport would require an estimated 7,000 TWh per year, including both cars and trucks.

This demand represents less than one-quarter of the electricity that solar panels on current biofuel land could produce. The same land that now supplies a small fraction of transport energy could, in theory, power all global road vehicles.

Limits of the comparison

This analysis does not suggest eliminating all biofuels. Some sectors, such as aviation and shipping, still depend on liquid fuels. Land also supports rural livelihoods, biodiversity, and food security.

Additionally, solar-based systems require energy storage, transmission networks, and grid stability measures to function reliably at scale.

Rethinking land use for decarbonisation

The comparison highlights the opportunity cost of land use. Biofuels occupy large areas while delivering relatively modest emissions reductions. Solar-powered electrification offers far higher climate returns per hectare.

In a carbon-constrained world, land allocation decisions will play a decisive role in shaping sustainable energy systems.

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If Biofuel Land Turned Solar Could EVs Run the World: