[ExI] Michio Kaku makes 3 predictions about the future

[BillK]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 at 19:03, spike jones via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> Granted, but my contention is that defense against military or law enforcement raiders is a much easier and practical task than is survival on Mars.  In the latter case, sheer distance from military force is a huge deterrent.  If energy-generating colonies are built in the Sahara, the desert itself creates a marvelous fortress against over-land attacks.  Regarding aircraft attack, the defender can deal with that too, considering any power-generating facility has huge piles of money to invest in anti-aircraft technology.
>
> Conclusion: massive Saharan power stations will predate (and may even be prerequisite to) any Mars colony.
>
> spike
> _______________________________________________


Hi Spike

The idea of covering the Sahara desert with solar panels has been well
studied and is not recommended. Small installations near the cities
would be OK, but not massive projects. Cover more than about 20% of
the desert and you run into big problems. Heat, climate change,
transmission costs, etc.  Solar power is best sited near to where it
will be used.


BillK