[extropy-chat] Nanoengineered terrestrial solar vs. nanoengineered space solar power

[Eugen Leitl]

On Sat, Apr 07, 2007 at 08:15:15AM -0500, Jay Dugger wrote:

> Will photovoltaics degrade in-orbit and by what mechanism? Radiation?
> Corrosion? Impact?

It's a solved problem, lifetime would be counted in decades, and 
arguably the array could be constantly repaired by roving robots.
 
> Do you assume SPS based on photovoltaics? Is that really a good model?
> What about using sunlight to heat a working fluid for a generator?

Bad idea. With PV you have high efficiency and potential separation
in a semiconductor, which is one step removed from reradiating this
towards a particular space segment, where your rectenna is.
 
> More to follow, when I return from work.

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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