3 ms·
Then do not turn the array and do not put it at the pole. Build a ring of static solar collectors at some respectable km distance out, such that some will alwa
by JdeBP 7y ago
Then do not turn the array and do not put it at the pole.
Build a ring of static solar collectors at some respectable km distance out, such that some will always be in sunlight, and transmit the power back. It brings up the engineering challenges of high-voltage power transmission in low gravity, zero atmosphere, and various forms of radiation (e.g. how far apart one could place pylons); but I suspect that these are more likely solvable than some of the things that futurist ideas bring up. (As yet uninvented, or not manufactured in large quantities, materials with really high tensile strengths, for example.) And it avoids the problems (construction and maintenance) of continously moving large numbers of solar panels around in a vacuum. It even introduces redundancy.
Moreover we definitely already know how to cope with an electrical power grid where only some of the generators are currently supplying power. (-: