Monday October 16, 2006

Beam it down : How the new satellites can power the world

spacefuture.com :

Terrestrial renewables pose environmental problems because of their relatively large land requirements. Hydropower, the most exploited renewable thus far, has significantly disrupted ecosystems and human habitats. Ground-based renewable energy systems, such as terrestrial photovoltaics and biomass fuels, generate fewer than 10 watts of electricity per square meter, on a continuous basis.

The flow of power from terrestrial renewables is intermittent. Clouds blot out the sun; the wind stops blowing; lack of rainfall nullifies a hydro generator. Because these technologies do not deliver power continuously, they require some means of storing energy, adding to overall cost and complexity. A network of solar power satellites in low earth orbit could provide power to any spot on earth on a virtually continuous basis because at least one satellite will always be in "view" of the receiving station.

No single piece of this technology poses a fundamental stumbling block. The physics of photovoltaic cells and microwave generation are well understood. The benefits are too large to walk away from. A network of solar power satellites such as what we propose could supply the earth with 10 to 30 trillion watts of electrical power - enough to satisfy the needs of the human race through the next century. Solar power satellites thus offer a vision in which energy production moves off the earth's surface, allowing everyone to live on a "greener" planet. Consider the philosophical implications: no longer need humankind see itself trapped on spaceship earth with limited resources. We could tap the limitless resources of space, with the planet preserved as a priceless resource of biodiversity.

- Note that this is an old article, dated Oct 1997. I found it while googling for something else. If you've played SimCity 2000 or 3000 before, you might recall that ideas like these were probably the basis behind the microwave power stations those games depicted. Baseload solar, how would you like that?

Haven't brought up the concept for a while, but this looks like a possible recipe for a Type 1 Civilization, if we don't manage to wipe ourselves out one way or another in the meantime. But who's going to do it? NASA of America hasn't shown much leadership since the various shuttle mishaps, and the Europeans couldn't put an Airbus A380 together, what with all the recent wiring problems. That leaves the Asians, maybe - Chinese, Japanese, Koreans. Russians, perhaps?

(2006-10-16 12:47:29 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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