6 ms·

If there was as supraconducting pipeline for current, could a solar receiving part of the planet, send power to a part that is already in shade?

datameta 5y ago
Similarly, what is the present feasibility of energy transmission via laser using satellites?
- ben_w 5y ago
  We’re at the prototypes and proof of concept stage for that sort of thing. Optimistically, it’s just about possible in principle if you don’t mind paying SpaceX to expand by a few orders of magnitude. But I don’t think anyone will be very happy with even one gigawatt of orbital lasers, no matter how much the satellite owner insists (possibly even accurately and with reference to the laws of physics) that it can’t be turned into a death ray. (And if you can use beamed power safely from orbit, with emphasis on safely, why not use the same beamed power horizontally at ground level around the world? Power at night from space implies an orbital-to-ground distance comparable to planetary radius).
  - OneTimePetes 5y ago
    Every foil wrapped turd in space is in theory a kinetic impactor by value of location and acceleration. There was a scifi short story, were a system was wrecked, aeons after a war, by what was essentially missed shots. This is what makes the expanse so creepy. Every PDC round not finding a target- finds a target eventually. On the other side of the system, totally not intended, but it finds one. Even thinks doing the marathon with ion-engines can become lethally over time. Voyager is another systems bullet.
sasfasaf 5y ago
Probably not. Super conductors don't really solve any problem because they loose their super conductivity at high B fields; i.e. when they transport large currents. Case in point the highest field magnets are not made w/ superconductors but water cooled copper pipes. So you'd have to transform the electricity to high voltage, low current. But we already do that to pretty much arbitrarily lower Ωlosses on high V lines - the USSR made a transcontinental line back in the sixties with MV (yup, mega volts).
ben_w 5y ago
Could be done, question is the cost (and possibly global production of superconductors: I hear recent increases in fusion experiments are due to a recent increase in superconductor availability, but that in turn implies global production is pretty low). There is a plan for a 5 GW superconducting connection, but AFAIK the ones which have actually been built are in the megawatt range: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_Amigas_SuperStation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_Amigas_SuperStation

datameta 5y ago

Similarly, what is the present feasibility of energy transmission via laser using satellites?

ben_w 5y ago
We’re at the prototypes and proof of concept stage for that sort of thing. Optimistically, it’s just about possible in principle if you don’t mind paying SpaceX to expand by a few orders of magnitude. But I don’t think anyone will be very happy with even one gigawatt of orbital lasers, no matter how much the satellite owner insists (possibly even accurately and with reference to the laws of physics) that it can’t be turned into a death ray. (And if you can use beamed power safely from orbit, with emphasis on safely, why not use the same beamed power horizontally at ground level around the world? Power at night from space implies an orbital-to-ground distance comparable to planetary radius).
- OneTimePetes 5y ago
  Every foil wrapped turd in space is in theory a kinetic impactor by value of location and acceleration. There was a scifi short story, were a system was wrecked, aeons after a war, by what was essentially missed shots. This is what makes the expanse so creepy. Every PDC round not finding a target- finds a target eventually. On the other side of the system, totally not intended, but it finds one. Even thinks doing the marathon with ion-engines can become lethally over time. Voyager is another systems bullet.

sasfasaf 5y ago

Probably not. Super conductors don't really solve any problem because they loose their super conductivity at high B fields; i.e. when they transport large currents. Case in point the highest field magnets are not made w/ superconductors but water cooled copper pipes. So you'd have to transform the electricity to high voltage, low current. But we already do that to pretty much arbitrarily lower Ωlosses on high V lines - the USSR made a transcontinental line back in the sixties with MV (yup, mega volts).

ben_w 5y ago

Could be done, question is the cost (and possibly global production of superconductors: I hear recent increases in fusion experiments are due to a recent increase in superconductor availability, but that in turn implies global production is pretty low). There is a plan for a 5 GW superconducting connection, but AFAIK the ones which have actually been built are in the megawatt range: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_Amigas_SuperStation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_Amigas_SuperStation