Tapping Solar Wind's Renewable Energy

A few folks noted a story making the rounds about the huge energy potential just blowing past the planet in the form of solar wind. This research involves putting a satellite into orbit with a thousand-meter cable and a 5,000-mile sail to generate more power than the earth currently uses.

Comments

Sail Envy

[MonsterTrimble]

This is what got me:

According to the team's calculations, 300 meters (984 feet) of copper wire, attached to a two-meter-wide (6.6-foot-wide) receiver and a 10-meter (32.8-foot) sail, would generate enough power for 1,000 homes.

So why would we build one sail, which would be a target and fought over by countries and an untold number of businessess when you could run up a bunch of smaller sails? Easier to build and maintain, which lowers the barrier to entry and stops the wars and lawsuits which would inevitably break out over THE sail. I guess you have to dream big, but like anything, start small.

Re:ok, mr smartypants, answer this:

[AJWM]

how do you successfully attack someone who controls a 30 million billion jiggiewatt deathray?

Get some farm kid to fire a torpedo down a vent shaft from his X-wing?