Space based solar power?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070411/sc_space/pentagonconsideringstudyonspacebasedsolarpower;_ylt=AiQQvTvTxfcNowE8vGnIsUYiANEA


ok umm, it sounds great and all but, how exactly does one transport usable energy from orbit, through the atmosphere, to the surface?

Answer 1

That's obviously one of the biggest challenges. Focused microwave has been discussed. Or simply reflecting the sunlight to the desired location.

If you reflect sunlight which would otherwise bypass earth, you are capturing new energy without blocking sunlight for other normal uses. This would have an obvious negative impact to global warming.

If on the other hand you reflect sunlight which would otherwise strike earth, you are potentially generating electricity from it, while diverting incoming solar radiation from heating the earth, favorably impacting global warming.

Most likely the costs of doing anything like this will be so high, they will be justified only where it is of extreme value to direct power to a specific location, and to be able to rapidly change that location. Most likely that would be the military application.

We could also just play God by blocking light from deserts and places experiencing heat waves and hurricanes, and diverting it to places experiencing cold waves or getting insufficient sunlight to grow crops. Build a new tropical paradise in Siberia. Oh so much fun to think about, but oh so dangerous.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, that is exactly what we already have.............yes, we have solar rays bombarding us all day every day, and with holes in the Ozone layer, we are actually getting too many of them now and the planet is warming up.

Why dream of putting energy collectors in space? That would be like building ice boxes on Antarctica.

The problem is, harnessing that energy in a safe and usable form, then transmitting it to the site of usage. There are myriad ways to do that on earth with known technology, but we are not quite ready to pay the price.

When we quit playing politics with energy problems and start really trying to solve them, there will be more solutions available than will be necessary. After all, what we really want is 'Just a little bit more' energy every week, not massive new amounts today.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Microwave it to a specific location. Also ensure that location is away from communities and secure it like any other Nuclear Facility. Also it has come to my understanding that NASA has already slowly released a long tether from space into our atmosphere. if this is true, they could easy send it through a tether to a ground based facility.

Answer 5

The microwave transport suggested by skill of yet another answerer is right. it could be effective--you will use microwave frequency lasers--very precise and with very low losses. I t could additionally be risk-free--the beam does not disperse and on the exterior, possibly it could be limited airspace. yet their are real issues--on being the achievable heating of vast voulumes of air--and achievable collateral effects from that. very own opinion--its no longer likely to happpen as a results of fact of transformations in technologies. particularly, the fee of earthboundsolar potential is dropping. area production could be extra effective--however the way issues are shifting, not extra no longer expensive. we are going to earnings extra by skill of looking preparation on a thank you to save image voltaic potential for later (evening/cloudy day) use fee effectively.

Answer 6

Don't think so yet the beam could be deadly.