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Solar power from space? Caltech’s $100M gambit (2021)
- JoeAltmaier 5y agoSomebody will come up with the form factor, the process, that makes orbital solar energy practical. It'll be a game changer for the whole world. Some ideas: a million mirrors reflecting at a single station convertor. A million geostationary convertors each steering generated microwaves at a low-orbit station (or series of stations). Microscopic 'dust' convertors blown by the solar wind, distributed at random and each getting in phase with its neighbors to create microwave flashes collected by larger neighbors and relayed in turn to a solar station. Moon-based polar solar stations that relay power to a series of lower-orbit collectors. A ring of smaller collector umbrellas relaying power around the planet to the station that's over an area of need. ...and on and on. Something might work. It isn't about being clever; its about the ultimate cents per kWhr delivered to Pocatella Idaho