Posted on 05/10/2024 5:41:42 AM PDT by Jonty30
Two Korean research institutes are designing a space solar power satellite project with the aim of providing approximately 1000 TWh of electricity to the Earth per year. The 95 gigawatts of nuclear in the US generates 800 terawatt hours per year. Spaced based solar at 120 gigawatts would generate 1000 terawatt hours.
This is an improved proposed Korean Space Solar Power Satellite (K-SSPS) project. It is a conceptual design of the satellite, its end-of-life disposal method, and a first pilot system and experiment.
The proposed system would use 4,000 sub-solar arrays measuring 10 meters × 270 meters and comprising thin film roll-out, with a system power efficiency of 13.5%.
It is not derived from rigorous analyses but rather serves as system requirements for commercial viability.
The system will have a mass of 10,000 tons per 2 gigawatt module and transmit microwave at a frequency of 5.8 GHz to Earth via a 1.0 square kilometer antenna. The microwaves can be converted on the ground to usable electricity via rectennas, which are special receiving antennas that are used for converting electromagnetic energy into direct current (DC).
On the ground, the researchers propose to place 60 rectennas with a diameter of 4 km along the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). In that case, 60 satellites will have to correspond to the 60 rectennas. If each rectenna could generate 2 GW, the total power collected would be 120 GW.
(Excerpt) Read more at nextbigfuture.com ...
Living in SCi-Fi movies is living in a Fantasy
Birds will explode in just a second.......................
4,000 arrays of panels measuring 10 x 270 meters is pretty big. It is gonna take a lot of carnival balloons to float it all up there.
That is so gay.
Focusing all the energy to small targets on earth — what could go wrong.
Sounds like something out of bond — James Bond.
>> It is not derived from rigorous analyses but rather serves as system requirements for commercial viability.
...wait, what ???!?
>> On the ground, the researchers propose to place 60 rectennas with a diameter of 4 km along the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Oh. It’s in Korea. What could go wrong? Go for it! I ain’t gonna pay for it though.
Don’t microwaves cook things with water in them, like people. What if someone were to hack the system and point it at Seoul?
I believe a space project could produce the electricity. Big whoop. Demonstrate how the power gets to the ground. I’ll wait, but I won’t hold my breath.
Maybe it’s not concentrated enough to do that? Being a km wide beam, it’s not like a laser.
Isaac Asimov wrote about this. I’m sure he didn’t invent the concept.
The power gets converted to microwaves and then is beamed to the ground and then, on ground, it gets converted into electricity.
Michio Kaku also talked about it on Art Bell’s coast to coast.
The South Koreans are nothing if not ambitious.
There is the little problem of transmitting the power collected in space and getting it to the ground. A tight microwave beam, perhaps? Or the longest transmission wire ever built, stretching from the surface of the earth out to geosynchronous orbit? What about earth shadow, or a total eclipse by the moon of the array?
Reliance on thorium molten-salt reactors seems to be a better all-around answer, but perhaps there is a lot of money in South Korea for these kinds of research grants.
There was a GI Joe episode along those lines.
The advantage, according to the article, is that it’s cheap. 30.03/kilowatt. Another advantage, if it works as theorized, is that cloudy days won’t inhibit the productin of power because microwaves will beam through clouds just find, even if there is a bit of loss from rain absorbing the microwaves.
I’m sure they would keep back-up options in the event of a strike by NK or eclipses and what not. A combination of everything is probably what will work.
And if one of those transmitting satellites’ beams drifts a few thousandths of a degree, they will set a Nork guard post on fire.
Talk about dual use!
I meant $0.03/kilowatt.
Don't hold your breath.....
Back to the Future? 😆
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.