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Old Posted Sep 3, 2013, 4:26 PM
amor de cosmos amor de cosmos is offline
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Quote:
NASA Wants to Beam Microwave Energy to Earth with a Solar Power Plant in Space
by Kevin Lee, 09/03/13

When we first heard about the Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large Phased Array (SPS-ALPHA) – a proposed flower shaped solar power energy collector that beams down concentrated microwave energy back to Earth – it sounded absolutely preposterous. Now in a recent interview with Motherboard, John Mankins, a NASA veteran from Artemis Innovation Management Solutions, divulged some more details on exactly how the world’s first practical orbital solar plant will work when it hopefully launches by 2025.

Mankins explains that the SPS-ALPHA is much more approachable than the idea of a solar plant in space first conceived in the 1970s. This new “21st century satellite employs much more efficient solar technology as well as smaller modules that act together like a swarm of ants. The SPS-ALPHA is equipped with a large array of thin-film mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight directly onto a central photovoltaic element on the back of the satellite’s array. Once the satellite processes the solar energy, it beams back the energy as microwaves in the form of radio waves.

Back on earth, Mankins says Artemis Innovation Management Solutions will build a massive microwave receiver dish about 3.7 to five miles in diameter, positioned three to six miles above the ground. Despite the collector’s massive size, Mankins says it would barely affect the surrounding wildlife. The dish could even be hung over farmland – like the Arecibo Telescope – without impacting the ecology underneath the dish.
http://inhabitat.com/nasa-wants-to-b...lant-in-space/

Quote:
This Satellite Could Be Beaming Solar Power Down from Space by 2025
By Becky Ferriera

Scientists have been aware of the edge the “space-down” approach holds over terrestrial panels for decades. An orbiting plant would be unaffected by weather, atmospheric filtering of light, and the sun's inconvenient habit of setting every evening. SBSP also has the potential to dramatically increase the availability of renewable energy.

I recently caught up with Mankins to discuss the SPS-ALPHA's progress and potential. “Because the power plant is in orbit, it can deliver power to any place on the ground that it can see,” he said. “A single solar power satellite would deliver power to on the order of a third of humanity—not all at the same time, but any of that market could, in principle, be addressed.” The SPS-ALPHA could revolutionize disaster relief, give developing countries access to reliable power, and provide the planet with an affordable green energy option. Plus, it's shaped like a margarita glass. What's not to love?



Since Mankins is dead-set on low-intensity microwave transmitters, the receiver on Earth will be large—about 6 to 8 km in diameter, positioned 5 to 10 meters above the ground. It will be constructed from millions of rectifier diodes—true quantum devices—wired together. When assembled, the receiver will look like a huge mesh, or a fishing net. The diodes are impressively efficient, and will utilize 80 to 90 percent of the energy beamed down from the satellite. And even though it covers a lot of ground, the receiver's environmental impact will be negligible. It could even be hung over farmland—like the Arecibo Telescope—without impinging much on the ecology of the area.

According to Mankins, the biggest obstacle that the development of the satellite faces is the widespread perception that all SBSP is inherently impractical and expensive. “There really is no significant technical difficulty in building the first prototype and flying it,” he said. But there are improvements that need to be made before the SPS-ALPHA can become not only a functional orbiting solar power plant, but a commercially viable energy source.
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/thi...-space-by-2025

Last edited by amor de cosmos; Sep 3, 2013 at 5:04 PM.
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