[ExI] Further ranting on power sat

[Eugen Leitl]

On Sun, Aug 19, 2012 at 09:53:51AM -0700, Keith Henson wrote:
> http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Lesson-learnt-from-40-years-1501557.S.109960984?view=&gid=1501557&type=member&item=109960984&report.success=v9F1yUF_EhbSLiA9P0gBV2o8WgZ0Nf3cccvEI9_MquN0af_PSq6EOsM7ctJRx9bFcLpJdjpMmCtNNFD-LWRYvl5iqj0eBFWForTC9t_Mo9N0ajQqncu0Gz6DmkENNFWcPoW09y6DqfGUhJfccqrJfs6_WfhUNGQP1LpR9us_o2mhafO11rsaOOusWCFgaCp11B8RPFxbN0a
> 
> Jorgen Anders seems to think solar energy is one of the few solutions.
>  I agree.  The problem is that solar energy, due to clouds and the
> Earth being in the way much of the time, is even more expensive than
> nuclear energy.

Sorry, this is incorrect. New solar is cheaper than new
nuclear

https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=solar+cheaper+than+new+nuclear&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=ubuntu&channel=fs
 
> There may be a way to get the cost down, but it involves taking the
> solar energy collectors into geosynchronous orbit.  Straightforward
> analysis states that the cost to lift parts to GEO has to get down to
> $100/kg for power to be delivered at 2 cent a kWh.  (That's low enough
> to make synthetic transport fuel for ~$1 per gallon, desalt and pump
> water 1000 km inland, recycle everything, etc.)
> 
> Laser thermal propulsion at 500,000 tons per year will get the cost
> down that far where the problems of chemical propulsion make it
> unlikely that $100/kg can be done at any traffic rate.
> 
> It's a very large project, and perhaps not the best way to solve the
> energy/carbon problem, but there seems to be at least one way to get
> out of the problems we have with a limited planet.
> 
> The fact that this can be considered at all is a "Black Swan" event of
> electronics intruding into space transportation, gigawatt propulsion
> lasers having roots in the tiny laser diodes used in CD players.
> 
> The previous iteration of the concept is here
> http://www.theoildrum.com/node/7898
> 
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Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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