Re:Space Solar Power Demonstrator ends first in-space mission
by pfdietz on Wednesday January 17, 2024 @06:46AM
(#39026483)
It makes the power available 24/7, regardless of night and season. It also enables dispatch of the power to regions with higher demand, in ways that would be difficult with terrestrial transmission lines (for example, between northern and southern hemispheres.)
The downside is cost and scale. Launching enough mass to power the world would also approach pollution limits for injection of water into the stratosphere and mesosphere.
I have imagined it might be useable at small scale in specialized applications first, if the power is beamed by laser. This requires improvement in laser efficiency and cost, but it could be very nice to power long distance aircraft (at altitude above clouds) this way. The challenges are considerable, of course.
Large scale use of power in space would not need transmission of that power, so could be an easier step. Latency insensitive servers there? The heat needs to be dissipated.
The downside is cost and scale. Launching enough mass to power the world would also approach pollution limits for injection of water into the stratosphere and mesosphere.
I have imagined it might be useable at small scale in specialized applications first, if the power is beamed by laser. This requires improvement in laser efficiency and cost, but it could be very nice to power long distance aircraft (at altitude above clouds) this way. The challenges are considerable, of course.
Large scale use of power in space would not need transmission of that power, so could be an easier step. Latency insensitive servers there? The heat needs to be dissipated.