Japan eyes solar station in space as new energy source
- Thread starter UnripeArbiter
- Start date
HarveyJ
He is - THE CACTUS!
sharksfan: NASA just handed over $900,000 in seed capital to a team that made a laser based propulsion system, and the CSIRO have recently managed to make nanotube cables long enough to be visible with magnification. We're halfway there!
Stop outing my target demos, man!
Then the world will have a new Leader
Stop outing my target demos, man!
There is some kind of competition out there where they actually compete to engineer the best space elevator.
They currently suspend the line from helicopters, real interesting stuff.
For the fuel they use a laser beam fixed on the ground thats hit the craft from the bottom propelling it upward. To my understanding, every team uses this same laser power. They compete on efficiences of the "engine" (Where the beam hits the craft) and overall design.
So by the time carbon nanotubes are economically feasible the rest of the technology will be close behind. Hopefully, of course.
LotsOfZeroes: You know, I bet Al Gore would probably take this idea to Haliburton. Every left wing lunatic would riot over how he's defected, and then, just as their about to test fire it, he'll get the hackers he invented the internet with to secretly realign the laser beam to hit a receiving power station and give all of Africa free electricity, and become Super Gore-Al again
(isn't it nice when we can have a non-partisan laugh together?)
YOU RIGHT WING SON OF A BITCH. HOW DARE YOU!
snopes.com: Al Gore Invented the Internet
More than a few companies are looking at this, as well as jet-stream wind turbines (That are powered 24/7).
The unfortunate problem with current solar and wind technologies is that they're amazingly inneficient. Sure, they're 'clean' (Although there's a pretty significant level of aresenic released during the solar panel creation process). "Green" Energy is big business for gas/oil companies, as every single solar or wind farm that is out there requires auxilary gas turbines to be available whenever there's a cloudy day or the wind dies down.
By putting stuff in space or in the jet-stream, you take away those problems and increase the effectiveness of renewable energy....However we're 20yrs away from either of those being a reality.
We're also about 20 years away from he3/deuterium fusion power, stuff that's so dense in energy , one semi truck load would yield enough power to supply the US for a entire year, but that's not green because it would involve private business.
The unfortunate problem with current solar and wind technologies is that they're amazingly inneficient. Sure, they're 'clean' (Although there's a pretty significant level of aresenic released during the solar panel creation process). "Green" Energy is big business for gas/oil companies, as every single solar or wind farm that is out there requires auxilary gas turbines to be available whenever there's a cloudy day or the wind dies down.
By putting stuff in space or in the jet-stream, you take away those problems and increase the effectiveness of renewable energy....However we're 20yrs away from either of those being a reality.
We're also about 20 years away from he3/deuterium fusion power, stuff that's so dense in energy , one semi truck load would yield enough power to supply the US for a entire year, but that's not green because it would involve private business.