RURAL Spain could be transformed into a vast solar powerhouse capable of supplying all of Europe’s energy needs, according to Elon Musk.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the tech billionaire said regions with low population density, including parts of rural Spain and Sicily, offer the land and sunlight needed for large-scale solar projects.
He argued that the technology already existed – and that the main obstacles were political coordination and investment.
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“Relatively small areas of land could generate all the electricity Europe needs,” Musk said.
Spain already plays a key role in Europe’s renewable energy transition due to its high levels of sunshine.
Large rural areas affected by depopulation, often referred to as España vaciada (’emptied Spain’), have also helped the country expand solar capacity in recent years.
Musk pointed to China as proof that large-scale solar energy production is possible.
He noted that Chinese solar farms already generated hundreds of gigawatts of electricity each year.
Similar projects in rural Spain, he said, could be developed to meet European demand.
Musk also referenced underused desert regions in the United States as examples of land suitable for national energy production.
He added that the same approach could be applied in Europe, naming Spain and Sicily specifically.
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