Do you think that Elevated Space Solar Power Plant would be reality?
By hcvvmk
@hcvvmk (175)
Malaysia
April 12, 2010 10:41am CST
Solar energy is abundance but capturing 100% is still not achievable. Since the USA has a technology to build a space elevator. What about integrating it with solar panels to make it a huge solar power plant in the space. what's your opinion on this? I think it would really solve lots of future energy crisis.
2 responses
@victiego (48)
• Ireland
14 Apr 10
maybe it can but I just think its economically not viable..for starters we all know that PV cells convert just about 30% of the energy from light to electricity (and even that is at the latest panel). this already means that you are putting a system in space that is far from efficient.
secondly, even though a solar plant may be relatively low in maintainability, you would still need regular checks especially since the power from the PV cells is DC it will have to be changed to AC for better propagation back to earth
My other problem with this would be that due to the distance involved I just think a lot of power will be lost en-route because of the Resistance of the cables due to the lengths involved
why not just build the Solar towers like the one in Spain in the Sahara (to supply north Africa and Europe), Arizona and California for the USA etc think its a more viable model
@victiego (48)
• Ireland
15 Apr 10
Well, the oil will run out at some point in time, and then and only then can human beings really emanicipate themselves from oil. meanwhile we will keep making very feeble attempts to maximise use of renewables, hopefully we wouldnt have choked to oblivion!
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
12 Apr 10
Actually the space elevator idea is unworkable. Physics would not allow it with out an impossibly large structure and we simply dont have the capability to do this. We would still be fighting the same force we fight with rockets....gavity.
