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My first thought on this is why not just build the solar panel on the ground, there must be some major efficiency gain from building this to offset the complexi
by raasdnil 4y ago
My first thought on this is why not just build the solar panel on the ground, there must be some major efficiency gain from building this to offset the complexity and cost, or is the main benefit being able to point concentrated power to a different location? (such as a 1m square receiving panel on a moving ship?)
- Mizza 4y agoNo atmosphere, no land to purchase, and most importantly, no night. I don't think it will be cost-competitive against alternatives, but it's sci-fi so I like it on that front.
- raasdnil 4y agoYes indeed love the sci-fi aspect :) But these things have to be commercial to work eventually... I wonder what they are seeing as the major competitive advantage. Land, perhaps yeah, but most of the land for solar type systems tends to be out where land is cheapish, but getting that electricity via a cable from a far off location would be something saved.
- AlbertCory 4y ago> most of the land for solar type systems tends to be out where land is cheapish .. but not the court costs for defending against the environmental lawsuits. There are no endangered species living in outer space (that we know of, anyway). But I'm not sticking up for this idea. Which one will happen at large scale first? 1) Geothermal 2) Fusion 3) New generation fission 4) Pumped storage hydro 5) Space solar, i.e. this article 6) Other