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MindMover

(5,016 posts)
Fri May 18, 2012, 09:30 PM May 2012

Could Solar Satellites Be the Key to Infinite Energy?

While solar energy has long been touted as the key to solving the planet’s energy demands, the problem of efficiency has always hampered it. However, a team of engineers from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow believe that the key to solar energy isn’t here on Earth, but out in space.

The team is currently testing equipment that they believe would act as a platform for solar panels to collect the sun’s energy and allow it to be transferred back to earth through microwaves or lasers.

They hope that these ‘solar satellites’ would be able to provide the planet with a reliable source of power that would allow valuable energy to be sent to remote areas and provide power to areas that are difficult to reach by traditional means.

Dr. Massimiliano Vasile, of the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who is leading the space-based solar power research, said: “Space provides a fantastic source for collecting solar power and we have the advantage of being able to gather it regardless of the time of the day or indeed the weather conditions.

“In areas like the Sahara desert where quality solar power can be captured, it becomes very difficult to transport this energy to areas where it can be used. However, our research is focusing on how we can remove this obstacle and use space based solar power to target difficult to reach areas.

“By using either microwaves or lasers we would be able to beam the energy back down to earth, directly to specific areas. This would provide a reliable, quality source of energy and would remove the need for storing energy coming from renewable sources on ground as it would provide a constant delivery of solar energy.

http://inhabitat.com/could-solar-satellites-be-the-key-to-infinite-energy/

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Could Solar Satellites Be the Key to Infinite Energy? (Original Post) MindMover May 2012 OP
Hot idea RobertEarl May 2012 #1
How's this for a SciFi plot... Speck Tater May 2012 #2
I think that was an episode of "Sliders" NickB79 May 2012 #4
The problem has never been the satellites themselves. It's getting them up there that's a bitch NickB79 May 2012 #3
We have a WINNER!!! PamW May 2012 #5
 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
1. Hot idea
Fri May 18, 2012, 09:43 PM
May 2012

We could use all the closed down nuke plants as targets.
Be safer that way, especially since we should move every one far away from the poison.

But what happens if the aim is off?

"Hear about Fred's place? Space beam hit it and fried the place to a crisp."

 

Speck Tater

(10,618 posts)
2. How's this for a SciFi plot...
Fri May 18, 2012, 10:47 PM
May 2012

Some kind of political upheaval on earth leaves countries unable to maintain these power satellites, and over time their orbits drift and concentrated beams of microwave energy that were supposed to beam down onto collectors in the desert now sweep across the landscape.

Alerts are issued for cities that need to be evacuated ahead of the coming beam, which will leave nothing behind but a fine ash where the city used to be. Mankind again must turn to the nomadic way of life to keep on the move avoiding the killer beams from the dozens of out-of-control satellites orbiting the planet.

No matter where you go you are never a more than a few days away from having the spot where you stand bombarded by killers rays from space. Eventually the whole planet is scoured bare and in order to survive we must build shelter zones under special screens that block the radiation.

At some point somebody remembers that there is such a thing as unintended consequences.

NickB79

(19,114 posts)
4. I think that was an episode of "Sliders"
Fri May 18, 2012, 11:15 PM
May 2012

Their solution was to send a colony through a wormhole to an alternate Earth still populated by dinosaurs, and re-establish civilization there.

On edit: it was actually an errant pulsar, not a power satellite.

NickB79

(19,114 posts)
3. The problem has never been the satellites themselves. It's getting them up there that's a bitch
Fri May 18, 2012, 11:10 PM
May 2012

The current cost to move material from Earth to orbit is measured in thousands of dollars per pound. Until we can get that number to come down significantly, we won't be able to place sufficient numbers of power satellites in orbit to make a dent in global energy demands. The boost in solar panel efficiency is more than offset by the enormous up-front cost of launch.

Short of a space elevator or a way to manufacture the satellites off-planet (either on the Moon or from a captured asteroid), it will be a long time before we see orbital solar satellites being more than a niche market for clean energy.

PamW

(1,825 posts)
5. We have a WINNER!!!
Sat May 19, 2012, 04:59 PM
May 2012

Nick79,

You are EXACTLY CORRECT!!

A satellite in low Earth orbit; like where the Space Shuttle orbited will have an orbital period of about 90 minutes. Therefore, the location on the surface directly below a low Earth orbit satellite will be traveling at 17,000 mph.
You would have to have a receiver traveling at that speed.

The only way a solar satellite makes any sense at all is to put it into geosynchronous orbit like we do with the communication satellites. That means sending them some 24,000 miles out. Those high orbits are REALLY expensive. It's like tens of thousands of dollars a pound for geosync orbits.

Image a pound of solar collector that will cost you tens of thousands to orbit. It doesn't take much in the way of solar cells to give a pound. All the electricity you can get will be dictated by the area of that cell. It would be a pretty trivial amount of power for that type of expense.

PamW

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