Posted on 11/07/2022 8:59:59 AM PST by Eleutheria5
Technology capable of collecting solar power in space and beaming it to Earth to provide a global supply of clean and affordable energy was once considered science fiction. Now it is moving closer to reality. Through the Space-based Solar Power Project (SSPP), a team of California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers is working to deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that collect sunlight, transform it into electricity, then wirelessly transmit that electricity wherever it is needed. They could even send it to places that currently have no access to reliable power.
“This is an extraordinary and unprecedented project,” says Harry Atwater, an SSPP researcher and Otis Booth Leadership Chair of Caltech’s Division of Engineering and Applied Science. “It exemplifies the boldness and ambition needed to address one of the most significant challenges of our time, providing clean and affordable energy...
(Excerpt) Read more at scitechdaily.com ...
Ethanol is still a thing - as is the making of wind turbines and solar panels - never underestimate the power of a government mandate.
and doesn’t the power diminish by the square of the distance of transmission or something like that?
I wonder....
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4106962/posts
A solar flare hit Earth today, causing radio blackouts in Australia and New Zealand
Seems easier to do it on the surface of the planet and deal with the filtering that happens.
Or punt solar and consider something more viable like nuclear.
But it keeps the farmers employed. So theres that. :)
But it keeps the farmers employ
—
So would just growing corn for people and cows, not to mention wheat, barley and so forth.
Agreed. Doing the necessary stuff that we all take for granted — food.
Wonder how much of the revenues are due to ethanol? Seems like it might be a lot.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a study to find out how much ethanol has helped the environment... and all of the promises that were made years, how many have come true. Like most government boondoggles, ethanol probably hasn’t met it goals yet we continue to use it in our fuels.
Stories like this make the hair on my arms stand up.
Like utility companies now?
Run by private companies. Regulated by the Government
That rapidly becomes a very complex question. Simple answer is yes. More complex answer begins with “It depends” sorry about that.
Right now utilities are pretty much local or at most regional.
This, at least in theory could be broadcast world wide. “To where it is needed.”
In other words, PG@E for example, can’t transmit power to Europe. Even if they were forced to by regulators.
Birds crash into clear windows and windmills, and also down planes. Bats get poisoned by insecticide. Planes, as I’ve already answered, can be advised of restricted areas, as they are right now of military restricted areas. As for the “dispersion of the ‘bean,’” send it directly to one or a few high-altitude reception point, and distribute it from there.
Right now, the big cities are becoming uninhabitable. Should we ban guns? There are viruses that can become a pandemic. Should we all wear masks and hide in our houses? Everything has risks. Intelligent planning and a modicum of courage and forward thinking can minimize those risks.
That "electricity beam" is probably a beam of microwave radiation (though the excerpt FAILS to use that term, which would make everything much clearer).
Don't have to imagine flying though that beam!
Instead, imagine the directional system being hacked and the beam being remotely commanded to target, say, New York City!
Regards,
We already have that: It's called the A-Bomb!
Regards,
"I say it's time to share some of our gigawatts of microwave energy with Moscow!"
"But Sir, Moscow doesn't have the requisite collection array!"
"To Hell with it! Redirect the microwave beam towards Moscow!"
Regards,
Just build some new nuclear plants.
No, it does not "diminish." Rather, it spreads out.
So, if the (very collimated) beam leaves the emitter with a diameter of, say, 100 meters, and if this widens to, say, 150 meters after a hundred km, then, after two hundred km, the beam would have a width of 225 meters (and FIVE TIMES the original area).
So you don't want a widely dispersed beam (like one emanating from a flash light - or, worse yet, a naked point-source like a light bulb). You want one that is as collimated as possible. Preferably a LASER BEAM.
The total amount of transmitted energy does NOT "diminish" (except for atmospheric absorption, etc.) - it only spreads out (slowly, if it is properly channeled/focused with parabolic mirrors, etc. - or quickly, in all directions, if it is like a candle).
Regards,
“We already have that: It’s called the A-Bomb!”
A young lady once complained to me that men have a bad habit of taking things to extremes. She was referring to the air conditioner settings, but in any case, I have no idea how she would get such a notion.
Got a feeling that the US will build “collection arrays” anywhere it’s politically expedient to do so. I can hear it now “Finally! We have solved the power crisis in Africa!”
And it’s not like other countries we might not be friendly with can’t manufacture their own collection array. Like China. Hell, they’ll steal the technology anyway.
If they don’t get it first.
Wasn’t this done in a 007 movie? I hope their aim is better
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