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I'd argue space-based energy collection and redistribution to Earth would be equally disruptive. China and the US are still heavily dependent on coal for energ
by technofiend 9y ago
I'd argue space-based energy collection and redistribution to Earth would be equally disruptive. China and the US are still heavily dependent on coal for energy as a single example. Nuclear's dream of "too cheap to meter" never came to pass and I'm sure that would be true of extra-planetary power as well but it would still put huge pressure on fossil fuels and if cheap enough could help further drive the switch to electric vehicles. It also has the added benefit of not requiring trips to the Kuiper belt like in system mining could.
- SubiculumCode 9y agoSolar energy collection in space is cool and has pretty much limitless energy potential, but getting the energy back to earth?? Problematic...and yes lasering it back to earth is freaky. :-)
- ben_w 9y agoOrbital power is either beamed to Earth, or connected to a supercomducting space elevator. Beamed power is problematic, because it’s either as diffuse as sunlight, or concentrated enough to be a weapon in its own right. And if you can make a space elevator length of superconductor economically, it’s easier to make a ring of PV and superconductors passing through the world’s deserts (and connecting them to each other and to all the cities) — it’s always daylight somewhere in the world.
- technofiend 9y agoAbsolutely dude, I wasn't trying to hand wave and claim these are solved problems! I was just saying if we're having a thought exercise about potentially disruptive space-based technology that energy would be another interesting one to discuss.