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Its just an engineering problem of how to get more of it's wasted energy onto the earth using space solar arrays Considering even the best solar panels have un
by causi 5y ago
Its just an engineering problem of how to get more of it's wasted energy onto the earth using space solar arrays
Considering even the best solar panels have under 50% efficiency, increasing the total solar radiation to earth would be very bad for the climate.
- goodpoint 5y agoActually it's true that increasing the overall input of energy in the planet atmosphere is bad. Yet, this also happens with nuclear, coal, gas, oil... The only solution is to capture the energy that is already being received from the sun in order to prevent it from heating up the atmosphere on site. E.g. solar panels on the desert and wind turbines
- orthecreedence 5y ago> The only solution is to capture the energy that is already being received from the sun. Or stop screwing with it entirely (it worked fine without our help for quite a while) and build nuclear reactors everywhere, which scale wonderfully and work even when it's dark, cloudy, or shrouded in smoke.
- goodpoint 5y agomissing the point much?
- Galaxeblaffer 5y agoAnd also works in space..
- SubiculumCode 5y agoThis is a silly comment. First, its not any different that creating your land-based fusion energy. Yes you are adding more energy into the system, thus more heat. In any case, space solar arrays that inefficiently convert electricity while in space would not be heating the earth directly. Just the inefficiencies in how that energy is used later.
- HPsquared 5y agoIt also applies to fossil fuels: the energy would otherwise be locked up underground. It'd be interesting to compare the energy directly released as usable heat from burning hydrocarbons, to the indirect increase in energy absorption over the life of the released greenhouse gases. Not sure, but I reckon the cumulative greenhouse effect would be massively more than the usable energy released during combustion.
- causi 5y agoYeah except that's not what he said. He proposed space mirrors with the photovoltaics on earth. Doing the inefficient part in space is fine.
- cinntaile 5y ago> increasing the total solar radiation to earth would be very bad for the climate. Citation needed. The radiation to earth varies already, sometimes we're farther away from the sun and the output of the sun isn't constant either. The earth seems to handle that just fine.
- knodi123 5y ago> The radiation to earth varies already, sometimes we're farther away from the sun and the output of the sun isn't constant either. The earth seems to handle that just fine. That sounds remarkably similar to "how can there be global warming if we still have a cold season and a hot season". I don't say space-based solar arrays are necessarily a problem, but arguing that earth handles variations, as if the net total doesn't matter, is a little blinkered.