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Space Based Solar Power Within a Decade?
Nancy Atkinson writes "A new company, Space Energy, Inc., says they have developed what they call a 'rock-solid business platform' and they should be able to provide commercially available space based solar power within a decade. 'Although it's a very grandiose vision, it makes total sense,' Space Energy's Peter Sage told Universe Today. 'We're focused on the fact that this is an inevitable technology and someone is going to do it. Right now we're the best shot. We're also focused on the fact that, according to every scenario we've analyzed, the world needs space based solar power, and it needs it soon, as well as the up-scaling of just about every other source of renewable energy that we can get our hands on.'"
This is probably why they have Feng Hsu, NASA's head of Risk Management for Safety and Mission Assurance, at the top of the list of experts they have helping advise the project. While I'll agree with what another poster said, most of the website reads like marketing towards investors, they do at least have some real experts involved and are serious about attempting this.
Personally I hope they succeed (and that they're hiring when I finish school).
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The "greens" will never let it happen. They already go nuts when a wind turbine wacks the occasional eagle. Can you imagine the "environmental studies" needed to cover FLOCKS of birds flying through the microwave download beam?
Greenpeace: Stopping progress one idea at a time.
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
Actually, they could combine this project with the space elevator. As long as you have a long tether to a big weight out in space, why not make that weight a power generator and have the cable do double duty as tether and conduit.
J
The only type of space based power I can see happening in the next 50 years is to reflect sunlight onto ground based solar power stations with orbiting mirrors. Traditional SPS is too far away. We can't even keep the systems on the ISS working between shuttle flights.
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A rectenna is much cheaper per m^2 than a solar cell.
A rectenna is much cheaper per m^2 than a solar cell.
And 3 times as efficient.
"It's got to..." ???
Interesting. When was the last time you used your microwave to make hot air? The hot air around a hot cup of tea doesn't count... that's heat from steam.
Having said that, I still think it's a bad idea. Who is going to aim the thing, what guarantees are there against bad aim, and who is going to be liable if 100,000 people get irradiated with low-power microwaves?
Just wanna know. That's all.
The problem with massive arrays of otherwise unused areas is the lack of global electricity grid to deliver the power from, for example, the desert to where the big cities are without massive losses on the way.
A space based power system has the advantage that the receiver can be placed near (*1) the population centers.
note 1: as near if not nearer than a nuclear power station for example.
These comments are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other voices in my head.
... and steam is composed of what ?
That's right, water vapour ! And what are those white fluffy things in the sky ? Ding ding ding ! Clouds made of water vapour. So heating the clouds produces a change in the local weather patterns, and as we all know, local weather is part of global weather.
This seems like a great way to start a hurricane.