SUN BEAMED DOWN BY SATELLITE

Space-based solar power can help on energy needs
Nick Lampson, October 22, 2009 (Houston Chronicle)

"The United States is on a serious quest to free itself from a costly and worrisome dependence on foreign oil, and depleting supplies of domestic petroleum, coal and natural gas.

"The country is pushing forward, thanks to some timely incentives from the federal government and state agencies, and we're turning to renewable sources of energy — which will also help protect our environment…[I]nnovative approaches under way at NASA…can help shape America's energy future, improve air quality and offset greenhouse gas emissions."

Space based receiver-sender solar satellite. (click to enlarge)

"October is Energy Awareness Month, and this year's theme — A Sustainable Energy Future: Putting All the Pieces Together — is especially timely…One of our greatest resources is all around us — sunlight. Each hour, the Earth receives more energy from the sun than the world's population consumes in one year. And our star promises to shine brightly for billions of years to come.

"…NASA's wellspring of talent could help foster the creation of solar power satellites — spacecraft that circle the Earth and beam the energy they generate down to the ground for distribution as electricity…The [solar panels of the] International Space Station…generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 55 homes…While it doesn't take a rocket scientist to appreciate solar power as an environmentally friendly source of energy, it will take that level of expertise to develop a practical, economic concept to collect the sun's radiance and relay this resource to Earth."

Earth based receiving-transmitting station. (click to enlarge)

"Two years ago this month, [Space-Based Solar Power as an Opportunity for Strategic Security from] the National Security Space Office…characterized the prospect of a network of solar-power satellites as a grand opportunity to address the nation's environmental and economic concerns as well as energy security...Even though solar power has a long way to go...it is making impressive strides. With a network of solar-power satellites, we could expect accelerated growth in the nation's solar-power industry to help invigorate our economy by creating high-paying jobs.

"Since its birth in 1958, NASA has teamed with industry, academia and other federal agencies to offer the benefits from their cutting-edge research…Environmentally friendly fuel cells have powered NASA's human spacecraft since the 1960s. Now, the world's automakers are turning to fuel cells as an alternative to fossil fuels. NASA's legacy also includes work with wind turbines and biofuels…Space-based solar power, initially proposed in the late 1960s, is a concept whose time has finally come..."