Re:Blue Origin manufactured solar cell prototype from lunar ...
by super5000 on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @02:59PM
(#34795072)
If they're going to make solar panels on the moon, perhaps the creativity won't stop there: Maybe we don't need to ship batteries, either.
They can make batteries out of moon rocks [1], use fly wheels, melt lava, etc. None super efficiently, but as a start.
Re:Blue Origin manufactured solar cell prototype from lunar ...
by narag on Tuesday February 14, 2023 @06:44PM
(#34797904)
You have to work around this problem with batteries...
It's only a problem if you want to use the energy for systems that must be always available. If you intend to use it to power a factory, let's say to make more panels, you just operate 50% of time that, without clouds or any atmosphere filter, is actually better than on Earth.
For continuous support, take a nuclear reactor or build a wired net near a pole so when night comes to one station, you receive power from another.
This... may or may not matter. When it comes to solar power on the Moon, there are significant advantages and some serious disadvantages. The most obvious advantage is that there is no weather and no atmosphere. This means a lunar solar cell has way more potential power generation than an terrestrial solar cell. The big disadvantage is the long day night cycle. The Moon is tidally locked with Earth with an orbit of 28 days so that's basically 14 days of day and 14 days of night.
You have to work around this problem with batteries, which add a ton more mass, having panels (and settlements most likely) at the poles or running a network of solar cells around the Moon with power cables.
Settling the poles makes sense as this is where the most water is.
But having a network of panels probably makes a lot of sense too. For one, aluminium is abundant so making electrical cables should be entirely possible.
> Another big question is how much mass needs to be shipped up from earth to manufacturer solar cells.
Yes, this is a huge factor, probably way more than efficiency is. Or at least we should look at power generation per unit mass shipped from EArth.