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I think the best way to save the planet is to move heavy industry into space. Move our power generation into space and beam it down. Make advanced technologies

I think the best way to save the planet is to move heavy industry into space. Move our power generation into space and beam it down. Make advanced technologies in space which benefit those on Earth. Move people into real orbital habitats. Make Earth proper a gigantic park / nature reserve. We can't "wait" for anything, or the window during which we can develop space travel will close. 10 or 100 years from now we might no longer have the motivation or the means to fund and build new vechicles like these.

tablespoon 5y ago
> I think the best way to save the planet is to move heavy industry into space. Move our power generation into space and beam it down. Wasn't one of the disasters in Simcity 2000 having your power-beaming space laser miss your power station instead light your city on fire? It seems like such a thing would cause massive hazards. > Move people into real orbital habitats. > Make Earth proper a gigantic park / nature reserve. Or force people to live deep underground. Then when they save up enough money to buy a ticket, they can be transported there much more economically. As for me, I like living on the surface.
- sebzim4500 5y ago
  I don't know anything about the physical feasibility of any of this but honestly I don't think 'argument by video game' is terribly convincing.
- midasuni 5y ago
  A 1 hectare receiving plant taking in 2kW/square metre won’t be burning any cities, but generate 120MWh continuous base load even with just 25% efficiency. Dial that up tenfold and I suspect you’ll be fine - especially with the plant in the desert (nothing to burn) 1GWh/y/ha. That’s a 4,000 ha requirement for the US electrical needs, about 10 square miles.
pyrale 5y ago
> I think the best way to save the planet is to move heavy industry into space. Good luck dealing with the absence of cheap oxydizer and the lack of convection which makes heat dispersion a nightmare. > Move our power generation into space and beam it down. Our power is already generated in space, and beamed down to us. It also comes with no infrastructure cost, which is truly an engineering wonder when you think of it.
- scrumbledober 5y ago
  space based solar power actually has some pretty great pros and not many cons other than construction cost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBCbdThIJNE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBCbdThIJNE
londons_explore 5y ago
The reason industry likes to be on earth is that so many materials are free or very cheap, and waste can be dumped into the atmosphere or waterways. If industry had to pay launch costs for water, air, and other basic things they need, they wouldn't be financially viable.
- gridspy 5y ago
  If we charged industry fair costs for dumping pollutants into water, land and air on Earth - we would have no uncosted externalities. If we then pointed out that in space or on the surface of a lifeless rock there are no costs of pollutants there might be a bit of incentive to move. But you are correct, those companies would need to be self-sufficient in gathering all resource inputs and be able to ship finished products back where they are wanted. Much more complex than renting an industrial unit in an industrial town.

tablespoon 5y ago

> I think the best way to save the planet is to move heavy industry into space. Move our power generation into space and beam it down. Wasn't one of the disasters in Simcity 2000 having your power-beaming space laser miss your power station instead light your city on fire? It seems like such a thing would cause massive hazards. > Move people into real orbital habitats. > Make Earth proper a gigantic park / nature reserve. Or force people to live deep underground. Then when they save up enough money to buy a ticket, they can be transported there much more economically. As for me, I like living on the surface.

sebzim4500 5y ago
I don't know anything about the physical feasibility of any of this but honestly I don't think 'argument by video game' is terribly convincing.
midasuni 5y ago
A 1 hectare receiving plant taking in 2kW/square metre won’t be burning any cities, but generate 120MWh continuous base load even with just 25% efficiency. Dial that up tenfold and I suspect you’ll be fine - especially with the plant in the desert (nothing to burn) 1GWh/y/ha. That’s a 4,000 ha requirement for the US electrical needs, about 10 square miles.

pyrale 5y ago

> I think the best way to save the planet is to move heavy industry into space. Good luck dealing with the absence of cheap oxydizer and the lack of convection which makes heat dispersion a nightmare. > Move our power generation into space and beam it down. Our power is already generated in space, and beamed down to us. It also comes with no infrastructure cost, which is truly an engineering wonder when you think of it.

scrumbledober 5y ago
space based solar power actually has some pretty great pros and not many cons other than construction cost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBCbdThIJNE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBCbdThIJNE

londons_explore 5y ago

The reason industry likes to be on earth is that so many materials are free or very cheap, and waste can be dumped into the atmosphere or waterways. If industry had to pay launch costs for water, air, and other basic things they need, they wouldn't be financially viable.

gridspy 5y ago
If we charged industry fair costs for dumping pollutants into water, land and air on Earth - we would have no uncosted externalities. If we then pointed out that in space or on the surface of a lifeless rock there are no costs of pollutants there might be a bit of incentive to move. But you are correct, those companies would need to be self-sufficient in gathering all resource inputs and be able to ship finished products back where they are wanted. Much more complex than renting an industrial unit in an industrial town.