Simcity Microwave Power by 2050?

Politburo writes "The Drudge Report supplies this interesting Senate testimony. Dr. David Criswell, director of the University of Houston's Institute for Space Systems Operations, proposes that we develop robots to assist in the construction of a lunar solar array. The power from this array would be beamed to recievers on Earth, either directly or via relay satellites. Dr. Criswell predicts that with this project, "the average American income could increase from today's ~$35,000/y-person to more than $150,000/y-person." He also attempts to put to rest the idea that microwave power is unsafe, saying, "Each power beam can be safely received, for example, in an industrially zoned area." I wonder if he's ever played SimCity 2000" And coming soon, Godzilla from a drop-down menu.

Comments

Re:Nonsense

[LaCosaNostradamus]

What is the point of going to all that trouble when we have ample power supplies here on earth (contra to our current moral panic about power supplies).

Is this a troll?

You really don't see the point of reducing -- even eliminating -- all those coal- and oil-fueled power plants? I do see the point -- they consume irreplaceable fuels, leave us with significant pollution, and are nearly incapable of distributed generation.

And as for suggestions of fission and fusion alternatives ... HA! Don't make me laugh. I live too close already to a plant that was saved from a severity-one nuclear accident by a quarter-inch of a stainless steel liner. Nuclear power's current incarnation is a failure, and should be rolled back into a niche product, even re-routed into small reactors like those being proposed. As for fusion ... you know, I have heard about fusion power all my life, and those highly-paid rat bastards haven't produced a single watt of commercial power yet. It's another failure, and we've given them at least 40 solid years of primarily research and some development to demonstrate that. Fusion funding should ALSO be rolled back and committed to things that can produce a useful watt (which was the point, remember?) within 5 years. All those fusion billions could have been almost carelessly spent on hot-water systems of glass, tar paper, copper tubing and wooden frames, and resulted in a great deal more power independence, lack of pollution, and overall positive power production. Fusion's billions now belong to solar power.