Mitsubishi, IHI to Join $21 Bln Space Solar Project (Update1)

[bananas]

Source: Bloomberg

Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and IHI Corp. will join a 2 trillion yen ($21 billion) Japanese project intending to build a giant solar-power generator in space within three decades and beam electricity to earth.

A research group representing 16 companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., will spend four years developing technology to send electricity without cables in the form of microwaves, according to a statement on the trade ministry’s Web site today.

“It sounds like a science-fiction cartoon, but solar power generation in space may be a significant alternative energy source in the century ahead as fossil fuel disappears,” said Kensuke Kanekiyo, managing director of the Institute of Energy Economics, a government research body.

Japan is developing the technology for the 1-gigawatt solar station, fitted with four square kilometers of solar panels, and hopes to have it running in three decades, according to a 15- page background document prepared by the trade ministry in August. Being in space it will generate power from the sun regardless of weather conditions, unlike earth-based solar generators, according to the document. One gigawatt is enough to supply about 294,000 average Tokyo homes.

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Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=aF3XI.TvlsJk

[krispos42]

1. And if they wave that microwave beam across Iowa....

acres and acres of popcorn.

[caraher]

2. It's an old idea

It's also not a good one if they plan to launch everything from Earth - that's a lot of rocket flights that probably won't do the environment any favors!

[Ozymanithrax]

3. Once built, it will be a huge boon....

Japan could conceivable be energy independent and end forever the need to burn coal or other fossil fuels.

[notesdev]

4. We'll be mining helium-3 from the moon long before this pays off

Read closely... 30 years for a 1GW station, 100x cost for being feasible on a large scale.

Presuming a Japanese power usage of about 1TW, $21B replaces 0.1% of that... we're talking $21 trillion of energy infrastructure to replace what they have now.

For 5% of that figure or less we could be pulling enough helium-3 out of the moon to supply the entire planet's energy needs.

The only reason any corporation would pursue this at all is if a government is financing it. As an energy source, this is a big loser at its price point.

[parasearchers]

5. Woot Means we are finally moving into space!!

You need a space colony to support this!

[Lost Jaguar]

6. Something along these lines must happen...

...if we as a species are to survive. Or, there might just be a great thinning of the herd--an enviromental, or man-made, holocaust that would drastically reduce the number of humans on the planet. One or all of the four horsemen may come galloping across the globe. Sometimes I dread the future of my grandchildren. At age 54, I imagine my life will play out in relative comfort, but for subsequent generations...

[AngryAmish]

7. If NK can reach orbit with a rocket, how safe is this?

James Bond style blackmail.

[miyazaki]

9. Where is North Korea mentioned here?

As for extreme mining of the moon, probably won't even happen for half a century +.

[Vidar]

8. Good for them.