Strong
10-11-2009, 12:20 PM
The Japanese are thinking of building massive solar power collectors in space and beaming it back to Earth in the form of laser or microwave energy.
Article: Solar Power Station in Space (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/solarpower/6536752/Japan-plans-solar-power-station-in-space.html)
Tatsuhito Fujita, one of the Jaxa researchers, said that in the next few years "a satellite designed to test the transmission by microwave should be put into low orbit with a Japanese rocket."
A test version of the orbital solar panels is expected to be launched in 2020. The final version should be in space in 2030, and will create about one gigawatt of energy – the equivalent of a mid-sized nuclear power plant.
If it all goes to plan, the electricity produced will be six times cheaper than current energy costs in Japan.
I thought solar cells had a life expectancy of ten years. It seems impractical to have them in space where replacing them every ten years would be a major headache.
Article: Solar Power Station in Space (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/solarpower/6536752/Japan-plans-solar-power-station-in-space.html)
Tatsuhito Fujita, one of the Jaxa researchers, said that in the next few years "a satellite designed to test the transmission by microwave should be put into low orbit with a Japanese rocket."
A test version of the orbital solar panels is expected to be launched in 2020. The final version should be in space in 2030, and will create about one gigawatt of energy – the equivalent of a mid-sized nuclear power plant.
If it all goes to plan, the electricity produced will be six times cheaper than current energy costs in Japan.
I thought solar cells had a life expectancy of ten years. It seems impractical to have them in space where replacing them every ten years would be a major headache.