[ExI] Forbes posting

[Andrew Mckee]

On Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:16:09 +1300, Keith Henson <hkeithhenson at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am a bit annoyed that nobody seems to be asking the engineers how to
> solve the problem.  It's not like we lack for clean energy; the Earth
> intercepts only around 1 part in a billion of the Sun's output.
>
> Take solar power satellites for example.  Been understood for over 40
> years, the only reason they have not been built is that the cost to
> lift parts to GEO is too high by a factor of about 100.

But do the solar arrays have to be built in orbit?, what about just floating them up above the clouds like the Strato Solar people propose?

Do the numbers not work for their approach, or is there a FUD problem with having a very large 'kite' floating over peoples heads?


Regards Andrew