Space-Based Solar Power Beams Become Next Energy Frontier

Mikael · 11-14-2007, 07:16 PM

Space-Based Solar Power Beams Become Next Energy Frontier

They're officially all the rage in the Pentagon and the private space industry: orbiting satellites that send solar power back down to earth to fight global warming—and turn a profit.

Space-based solar power may become an important energy source as fossil-fuel supplies dwindle in midcentury: A single 1-kilometer-wide solar array could collect enough power in a year to rival the entire world’s oil reserves.

By Erik Sofge
Illustration by Raz.Ro
Published in the January 2008 issue.

The idea of using satellites to beam solar power down from space is nothing new—the Department of Energy first studied it in the 1970s, and NASA took another look in the ’90s. The stumbling block has been less the engineering challenge than the cost.

A Pentagon report released in October could mean the stars are finally aligning for space-based solar power, or SBSP. According to the report, SBSP is becoming more feasible, and eventually could help head off crises such as climate change and wars over diminishing energy supplies. “The challenge is one of perception,” says John Mankins, president of the Space Power Association and the leader of NASA’s mid-1990s SBSP study. “There are people in senior leadership positions who believe everything in space has to cost trillions.”

The new report imagines a market-based approach. Eventually, SBSP may become enormously profitable—and the Pentagon hopes it will lure the growing private space industry. The government would fund launches to place initial arrays in orbit by 2016, with private firms taking over operations from there. This plan could limit government costs to about $10 billion.

As envisioned, massive orbiting solar arrays, situated to remain in sunlight nearly continuously, will beam multiple megawatts of energy to Earth via microwave beams. The energy will be transmitted to mesh receivers placed over open farmland and in strategic remote locations, then fed into the nation’s electrical grid. The goal: To provide 10 percent of the United States’ base-load power supply by 2050.

Ultimately, the report estimates, a single kilometer-wide array could collect enough power in one year to rival the energy locked in the world’s oil reserves.

While most of the technology required for SBSP already exists, questions such as potential environmental impacts will take years to work out. “For some time, solar panels on Earth are going to be much cheaper,” says Robert McConnell, a senior project leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. “This is a very long-range activity.”

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Mikael · 11-14-2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

A single 1-kilometer-wide solar array could collect enough power in a year to rival the entire world’s oil reserves.

IMO this is an amazing fact!

shonguiz · 11-15-2007, 05:40 AM

ManKind Power at its best

Mikael · 11-15-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shonguiz

ManKind Power at its best

Definitely.

Now if they only managed to overcome the difficulties with fusion power. World's energy problems would basically disappear.

Yannis · 11-17-2007, 05:59 PM

This is a rather old idea (it was proposed a few decades back) but cost porevents it from happening.

I 'm sure one day it will become a reality though.

Mikael · 11-18-2007, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yannis

This is a rather old idea (it was proposed a few decades back) but cost porevents it from happening.

Yes, the article starts with the following sentence

:

Quote:

The idea of using satellites to beam solar power down from space is nothing new—the Department of Energy first studied it in the 1970s, and NASA took another look in the ’90s.

11-14-2007, 07:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mikael Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,916 Thanks: 879 Thanked 389 Times in 238 Posts	Space-Based Solar Power Beams Become Next Energy Frontier Space-Based Solar Power Beams Become Next Energy Frontier They're officially all the rage in the Pentagon and the private space industry: orbiting satellites that send solar power back down to earth to fight global warming—and turn a profit. Space-based solar power may become an important energy source as fossil-fuel supplies dwindle in midcentury: A single 1-kilometer-wide solar array could collect enough power in a year to rival the entire world’s oil reserves. By Erik Sofge Illustration by Raz.Ro Published in the January 2008 issue. The idea of using satellites to beam solar power down from space is nothing new—the Department of Energy first studied it in the 1970s, and NASA took another look in the ’90s. The stumbling block has been less the engineering challenge than the cost. A Pentagon report released in October could mean the stars are finally aligning for space-based solar power, or SBSP. According to the report, SBSP is becoming more feasible, and eventually could help head off crises such as climate change and wars over diminishing energy supplies. “The challenge is one of perception,” says John Mankins, president of the Space Power Association and the leader of NASA’s mid-1990s SBSP study. “There are people in senior leadership positions who believe everything in space has to cost trillions.” The new report imagines a market-based approach. Eventually, SBSP may become enormously profitable—and the Pentagon hopes it will lure the growing private space industry. The government would fund launches to place initial arrays in orbit by 2016, with private firms taking over operations from there. This plan could limit government costs to about $10 billion. As envisioned, massive orbiting solar arrays, situated to remain in sunlight nearly continuously, will beam multiple megawatts of energy to Earth via microwave beams. The energy will be transmitted to mesh receivers placed over open farmland and in strategic remote locations, then fed into the nation’s electrical grid. The goal: To provide 10 percent of the United States’ base-load power supply by 2050. Ultimately, the report estimates, a single kilometer-wide array could collect enough power in one year to rival the energy locked in the world’s oil reserves. While most of the technology required for SBSP already exists, questions such as potential environmental impacts will take years to work out. “For some time, solar panels on Earth are going to be much cheaper,” says Robert McConnell, a senior project leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. “This is a very long-range activity.” Source: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

11-15-2007, 05:40 AM	#3 (permalink)
shonguiz Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,469 Thanks: 179 Thanked 293 Times in 176 Posts	Re: Space-Based Solar Power Beams Become Next Energy Frontier ManKind Power at its best

11-17-2007, 05:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
Yannis Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 7,198 My Mood: Thanks: 1,243 Thanked 1,230 Times in 702 Posts	Re: Space-Based Solar Power Beams Become Next Energy Frontier This is a rather old idea (it was proposed a few decades back) but cost porevents it from happening. I 'm sure one day it will become a reality though.

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