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Space advocates seem to have been going off the idea of that over the past few years. I'm not sure how much of that is due to a better appreciation of the downs
by mrec 6y ago
Space advocates seem to have been going off the idea of that over the past few years. I'm not sure how much of that is due to a better appreciation of the downsides, and how much is due to the very rapid improvements we've been seeing in ground-based solar.
A couple of recent (late 2019) articles from Casey Handmer:
https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2019/08/20/space-based-solar-power-is-not-a-thing/ https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2019/08/20/space-based-so...
https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2019/09/20/no-really-space-based-solar-power-is-not-a-useful-idea-literature-review-edition/ https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2019/09/20/no-really-spac...
It's worth reading the comments too; there are some interesting points there, although I think the game-changing ones rely on new tech and/or well-developed lunar industry.
- LargoLasskhyfv 6y agoYes. I'm aware of that. But while economically usable fusion remains SciFi so far, space based solar just lacks some bootstrapping. Which seems to be more attainable as time passes. If "we" really wanted this, we could do it now because the technology is there. There is no what if like in any path to fusion. edit: especially considering all the hype about colonizing Mars, or a Moonbase.
- pfdietz 6y agoSpace solar is a way to get the most out of expensive PV cells. But PV is no longer expensive. It's cheaper to just overbuild on Earth and transmit energy through time (storage) rather than through space (microwaves).