>>11050123Okay yeah, in theory you could definitely put a ring around the equator. but the sun only shines at about 50% of the equator at one single time, which means only 50% of those solar panels would be working at a given time. Then if we think about the topology and meteorology of the areas along the equator in which a solar field is possible to place (flat, dry and sunny places) we are suddenly shrinking the possible amount of solar fields which can be operational. We can place solar fields on the oceans, sure, but how would you feel about taking your computer out on a ship? Electronics and water is a bad idea.
But lets say we can solve that by making our solar fields water resistant or w/e.
The equator is 40,075 km (24,901 mi) long, imagine if somewhere along that length or solar fields there is a malfunction. If the solar fields are connected sequentially then every solar cell stops working. If theyre not, you need to have every cell interconnected with every other cell. This means you need way way way more cables than in the first example, upping the cost and moving maintenance instead of eliminating maintenance.
Doesnt matter how you twist and turn it, placing solar panels on dry and sunny places always outmatch the suggestion you had. And since dry and sunny places are limited to basically two areas on earth (death valley USA and north africa) we would need a way to store the energy we collect.
A good analogy would be to imagine a city without water towers, which you can find a perfect video with details about on youtube.
