[ExI] Bosch exits Solar business in Germany

[Keith Henson]

On Tue, Apr 2, 2013 at 4:00 AM,  Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

> I need something peer-reviewed, or at least containing hard data,
> and not opinions, which are rather useless, unless I know the
> reputation of the opinion holder for doing due diligence.

I have an article in for peer review at the JBIS.  In fact, it has
been in peer review for 6 months now.  JBIS might not have been the
most sensible place to offer the article since it is rapidly getting
out of date what with the China/India power satellite cooperation.

I can't post it as long as it is in peer review, but I can send around
copies for comment.  Here is the concluding paragraphs:

"The disruptive element behind this paper is large, high efficiency
lasers developed outside the space industry for other purposes.

"The physics and business models presented here stems from the
realization that an existing power satellite, fitted with large
propulsion lasers and the optics to track faraway vehicles, would
result in a huge reduction in the cost to lift hundreds of thousands
of tons of parts for more power satellites.  The cost advantage of
simple (hot hydrogen) laser propulsion is so large that it is worth
constructing an initial power satellite and a set of propulsion lasers
with relatively conventional rockets or rocket planes.  In spite of
the high initial cost, the value of propulsion lasers in GEO is very
large. A power-satellite construction business based on this model
appears to be able to build power satellites at such a low cost and in
such large numbers that they could displace fossil fuels in a couple
of decades."

I think I offer it here before, but it has been so long I don't
remember if anyone from this list asked for a copy.  If you don't have
the file JBIS7 and want to read it, ask for a copy.

If you do read it and think you might be able to contribute, let me
know.  I may be lining up people to work on it.

Keith