Comments for Space-Based Solar Power http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com a public discussion sponsored by the Space Frontier Foundation Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:24:42 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Obama Team Asking for Public Input on Space-Based Solar Power by Miss Bokashi http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/obama-team-asking-for-public-input-on-space-based-solar-power/#comment-3175 Miss Bokashi Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:24:42 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/obama-team-asking-for-public-input-on-space-based-solar-power/#comment-3175 I really agree for the investment in Solar Power. I think it is the future... I really agree for the investment in Solar Power. I think it is the future…

]]> Comment on Obama Team Asking for Public Input on Space-Based Solar Power by Robert http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/obama-team-asking-for-public-input-on-space-based-solar-power/#comment-3174 Robert Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:16:58 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/obama-team-asking-for-public-input-on-space-based-solar-power/#comment-3174 Dr. John Marburger III, GW Bush's science adivsor, was all about the use of lunar materials for the construction of useful "apparatus" for earth. Bush's VSE is rather an OK path for space solar. I didn't know this previously. Dr. John Marburger III, GW Bush’s science adivsor, was all about the use of lunar materials for the construction of useful “apparatus” for earth. Bush’s VSE is rather an OK path for space solar. I didn’t know this previously.

]]> Comment on Time to Build! A First Look at “The Initial Plan” by Neil Cox http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/time-to-build-a-first-look-at-the-initial-plan/#comment-3172 Neil Cox Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:18:15 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/?p=178#comment-3172 Hi Geoff and Alternative Energy: If we have the technology to beam energy from balloons with lasers, I agree. Any solar site could receive the laser beam while microwaves require many large and expensive rectennas to be built. This is because tethered balloons cannot reach an altitude of 20 kilometers, but free flying balloons can easily, but they typically change rectennas/solar sites about twice per hour as they are pushed by high altitude winds. At 20 kilometers altitude at least 2 hours more useful sunlight is received each day compared to surface solar sites. As I see it two balloons tethered to each other are launched. One has the photo voltaic panels (pointed at the Sun) the other, the laser array aimed at the solar site on the ground. The beam is moved to a different solar site up to several times per hour. Neil Hi Geoff and Alternative Energy: If we have the technology to beam energy from balloons with lasers, I agree. Any solar site could receive the laser beam while microwaves require many large and expensive rectennas to be built. This is because tethered balloons cannot reach an altitude of 20 kilometers, but free flying balloons can easily, but they typically change rectennas/solar sites about twice per hour as they are pushed by high altitude winds. At 20 kilometers altitude at least 2 hours more useful sunlight is received each day compared to surface solar sites. As I see it two balloons tethered to each other are launched. One has the photo voltaic panels (pointed at the Sun) the other, the laser array aimed at the solar site on the ground. The beam is moved to a different solar site up to several times per hour. Neil

]]> Comment on Google Lunar X-Prize and Space-Based Solar Power by ลดน้ำหนัก http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/ansari-x-prizes-for-lunar-exploration-sbsp-from-the-moon/#comment-3171 ลดน้ำหนัก Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:40:59 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/ansari-x-prizes-for-lunar-exploration-sbsp-from-the-moon/#comment-3171 B.P Launch services is looking for angel investors for seed money to get this boat off the dock. B.P Launch services is looking for angel investors for seed money to get this boat off the dock.

]]> Comment on “How to Build a Space Solar Power System” by Neil Cox http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-to-build-a-space-solar-power-system/#comment-3170 Neil Cox Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:09:54 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-to-build-a-space-solar-power-system/#comment-3170 Hi Jim: I'm not aware of more than a tiny percent of environmental scientists being concerned about heating Earth with energy from SSP = space solar power. The area of a sphere is 12.56 times the radius squared. The radius of Earth is about 6000 kilometers, so area of Earth's surface is 12.56 times 36 million = 420 million square kilometers. 420 square kilometers of PV in space would thus add one part per million to the heating of Earth, at 100% efficiency. 20% efficiency is optimistic for SSP, so we need 2100 square kilometers of PV panels in space to heat Earth 1 part per million. We might orbit that much PV over the next few centuries, but far less will be orbited in this century, so heating Earth with SSP will be negligible long term. If we are deep in an ice age in a few centuries even a tiny amount of extra heat will be appreciated. Competition with solar power on Earth's surface (by SSP) will also be minor for the rest of this century, so any supposed hurting of solar power will be bad analysis. An increasing number of scientists are concluding climate change is seriously exaggerated. Neil Hi Jim: I’m not aware of more than a tiny percent of environmental scientists being concerned about heating Earth with energy from SSP = space solar power. The area of a sphere is 12.56 times the radius squared. The radius of Earth is about 6000 kilometers, so area of Earth’s surface is 12.56 times 36 million = 420 million square kilometers. 420 square kilometers of PV in space would thus add one part per million to the heating of Earth, at 100% efficiency. 20% efficiency is optimistic for SSP, so we need 2100 square kilometers of PV panels in space to heat Earth 1 part per million. We might orbit that much PV over the next few centuries, but far less will be orbited in this century, so heating Earth with SSP will be negligible long term. If we are deep in an ice age in a few centuries even a tiny amount of extra heat will be appreciated.
Competition with solar power on Earth’s surface (by SSP) will also be minor for the rest of this century, so any supposed hurting of solar power will be bad analysis. An increasing number of scientists are concluding climate change is seriously exaggerated. Neil

]]> Comment on “How to Build a Space Solar Power System” by Neil Cox http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-to-build-a-space-solar-power-system/#comment-3169 Neil Cox Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:02:41 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-to-build-a-space-solar-power-system/#comment-3169 Hi Murry: It is hard to argue with your math, but launch costs, and launch polution may be much less if the space elevator or other advances occur. Yes there are other considerations: GEO harvests more than 4 times the energy of the Nevada desert in December. The transmission losses and rectenna losses, however make 4 times about right. There are costs and energy losses getting the Electricity from Nevada to where the customers are. Considerable extra polution is released building 4 times as many PV panels or concentrating solar. Energy storage and/or coal fired plants produce lots of polution to supply electricity when the sun is below the horizon in Nevada. Most of the dead GEO satellites are in a parking orbit about 1000 miles higher than GEO altitude. Those dead satellites at GEO altitude are orbiting very close to the same speed as the SSP = space solar power satellite, so collisions are gentle and rare. Until we learn to build very large scale, we can build lots of small SSP, perhaps in sun synchronous orbit instead of GEO orbit = lots less space junk. We do need to design so the SSP continues to operate satisfactorily with some holes busted in the PV array and the transmitting array. Neil Hi Murry: It is hard to argue with your math, but launch costs, and launch polution may be much less if the space elevator or other advances occur. Yes there are other considerations: GEO harvests more than 4 times the energy of the Nevada desert in December. The transmission losses and rectenna losses, however make 4 times about right.
There are costs and energy losses getting the Electricity from Nevada to where the customers are. Considerable extra polution is released building 4 times as many PV panels or concentrating solar. Energy storage and/or coal fired plants produce lots of polution to supply electricity when the sun is below the horizon in Nevada. Most of the dead GEO satellites are in a parking orbit about 1000 miles higher than GEO altitude. Those dead satellites at GEO altitude are orbiting very close to the same speed as the SSP = space solar power satellite, so collisions are gentle and rare.
Until we learn to build very large scale, we can build lots of small SSP, perhaps in sun synchronous orbit instead of GEO orbit = lots less space junk. We do need to design so the SSP continues to operate satisfactorily with some holes busted in the PV array and the transmitting array. Neil

]]> Comment on Obama Team Asking for Public Input on Space-Based Solar Power by Chris http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/obama-team-asking-for-public-input-on-space-based-solar-power/#comment-3156 Chris Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:17:44 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/12/13/obama-team-asking-for-public-input-on-space-based-solar-power/#comment-3156 This issue was recently discussed on the Quirks & Quarks radio show. There is a (skeptical) response here: http://selfdestructivebastards.blogspot.com/2009/09/space-based-solar-power.html This issue was recently discussed on the Quirks & Quarks radio show. There is a (skeptical) response here:

http://selfdestructivebastards.blogspot.com/2009/09/space-based-solar-power.html

]]> Comment on Time to Build! A First Look at “The Initial Plan” by Rob Mahan http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/time-to-build-a-first-look-at-the-initial-plan/#comment-3154 Rob Mahan Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:17:32 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/?p=178#comment-3154 Dear Coyote, I would really like to see an update from you on the current state of space-based solar power. Not seeing a new post from you since October of 2008 has had me concerned for a quite a while now. I regard you as one of the most devoted supporters of this energy source and you have given me a lot of inspiration to also support it through Citizens for Space Based Solar Power. Are the two demonstration satellite projects still in work? Is everything OK with you professionally and personally? Has a technical discovery derailed the whole idea? Has the change of administrations halted any momentum there may have been or is your silence here simply related to the near collapse of the domestic and global economies? I haven't posted anything new on my site since April of this year. News of several start-up space-based solar power companies (PowerSat, Solaren, Space Energy) has been interesting but their websites are either only background information or placeholders with no news of any real progress. Hope to hear from you soon! Best regards, Rob Mahan <a href="http://c-sbsp.org/" rel="nofollow">Citizens for Space Based Solar Power</a> Dear Coyote,

I would really like to see an update from you on the current state of space-based solar power. Not seeing a new post from you since October of 2008 has had me concerned for a quite a while now. I regard you as one of the most devoted supporters of this energy source and you have given me a lot of inspiration to also support it through Citizens for Space Based Solar Power.

Are the two demonstration satellite projects still in work? Is everything OK with you professionally and personally? Has a technical discovery derailed the whole idea? Has the change of administrations halted any momentum there may have been or is your silence here simply related to the near collapse of the domestic and global economies?

I haven’t posted anything new on my site since April of this year. News of several start-up space-based solar power companies (PowerSat, Solaren, Space Energy) has been interesting but their websites are either only background information or placeholders with no news of any real progress.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Best regards,
Rob Mahan
Citizens for Space Based Solar Power

]]> Comment on “How to Build a Space Solar Power System” by Maury Markowitz http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-to-build-a-space-solar-power-system/#comment-3153 Maury Markowitz Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:39:34 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/how-to-build-a-space-solar-power-system/#comment-3153 The math is very simple: 1) Calculate the amount of power you expect to generate by your panels over their lifetime, if they are placed in the Nevada desert. 2) Calculate the amount of energy you would generate by the same panel placed in GEO. 3) Calculate the launch costs of placing those panels in orbit. (2) will be 3 to 4 times (1). (3) will be about 10,000 times (1). So you're always better off leaving the panels on the ground. That's all there is to it. There are other considerations. GEO orbit is clogged with dead sats and there's absolutely no way a SPS will last more than a couple of months before being hit. There's also the question of launching hundreds of rockets and the impact they have on the environment. And then there's the fact that 100% of our attempts to build objects on this scale have failed. It's a pipe dream, stop smoking it. The math is very simple:

1) Calculate the amount of power you expect to generate by your panels over their lifetime, if they are placed in the Nevada desert.

2) Calculate the amount of energy you would generate by the same panel placed in GEO.

3) Calculate the launch costs of placing those panels in orbit.

(2) will be 3 to 4 times (1). (3) will be about 10,000 times (1). So you’re always better off leaving the panels on the ground. That’s all there is to it.

There are other considerations. GEO orbit is clogged with dead sats and there’s absolutely no way a SPS will last more than a couple of months before being hit. There’s also the question of launching hundreds of rockets and the impact they have on the environment. And then there’s the fact that 100% of our attempts to build objects on this scale have failed.

It’s a pipe dream, stop smoking it.

]]> Comment on Time to Build! A First Look at “The Initial Plan” by Shubber http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/time-to-build-a-first-look-at-the-initial-plan/#comment-3152 Shubber Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:31:48 +0000 http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com/?p=178#comment-3152 Awfully quiet here, Coyote.... no posts from you since December. How're things on the other side of the pond? Awfully quiet here, Coyote…. no posts from you since December. How’re things on the other side of the pond?

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