"As Above, So Below" - Taking Solar Based Energy From Land to Space
With the Chernobyl & Fukushima nuclear disasters still in the forefront of our minds, there now seems to be a shift from the traditional hydro carbon and nuclear energies to even more renewable energy alternatives.
Space based solar energy is one such alternative, that offers many possibilities.
The current hydro carbon model is flawed, and is not a consistent means of renewable energy.
Not only is there great expense and pollution involved in this antiquated energy, but it also poses a myriad of countless geo-political issues.
Although nuclear energy is seemingly reliable, as evidenced by the fact that the planet has over 400 nuclear plants worldwide, with only a small percentage of them reporting any significant accidents.
The problem however is, that even one accident, is one too many, and can have catastrophic global ramifications.
Like we saw with the recent Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, where we helplessly witnessed our atmosphere transport this nuclear radiation worldwide, in only a matter of a couple of weeks.
Hydro carbon and nuclear energies are not long term solutions.
Although we may not witness space harnessed solar energy in our lifetime, it is certainly an overall better solution.
Solar energy is renewable, but solar energy captured from earth is not practical, as the majority of solar energy is reflected by our atmosphere, and the remainder of it is then absorbed by our clouds, making only a small fraction of it able to reach our planet.
The earths "day and night cycle" also reduce its effectiveness.
It also requires a lot of space to try and harness solar energy to full capacity.
Some estimates suggest it would take approximately 3.
3 million square miles or 25% of Africa to harness this energy effectively creating a huge ecological strain to the planet.
The same issue also exists in trying to convert algae into biofuels which also requires a sizable amount of landscape to be used to reap significant rewards.
So, what is the solution? The best solution to date is harnessing solar energy in space.
In space, there are no clouds or "day and night cycles" to contend with, and there are no spacial limitations as our universe is abundant and expansive.
By placing solar collectors above the atmosphere it will be far more affective (some estimates suggest up to 14 times more than land based collectors).
So, once solar energy is collected in space, how would we send this energy back to earth? Here in lies the challenge, but not one without a solution.
For years, NASA has been working on a space based energy program, and they have figured out how to channel this space based solar energy back to earth through the use of microwave radiation.
Once it reaches earth (via microwave beam) it is then converted to electricity which can then power the electrical grids.
The US and Japan seem to be at the forefront of this technology, so it will be interesting to see what other advances this technology will make in the future.
Some speculate that the development of solar energy in space via microwave technology will begin as a military project first, eventually filtering down into civilian type technologies.
So it may in fact be years (or our lifetime) before this technology is widely in use and mainstream.
Another drawback to this energy is that like any object in space, it can be vulnerable to attack (by enemy missiles or space objects such as: meteors, asteroids or other "space junk"), and will require protection of some sort.
Some suggest we may have to fully militarize space in order to make this option a tangible possibility.
Space based energy is a promising sector, but one in which still has its limitations (although seemingly much less, earth based environmental consequences, than our traditional carbon and nuclear counterparts).
Not only will the realization of such an undertaken be years away, it also poses a genuine threat to the natural occurring universe as we know it.
In much the same way as humans have ravaged the earth's resources to the point of scarcity, space "our final frontier "risks having the same fate, should humans try and explore or dominate it in the name of technological advancement.
Also, the current microwave technologies are still in its infancy, and the long term effects of this technology are still unknown.
I think we still need to focus on earth based green technologies that will require less landscape to implement clean energies on a large scale.
I also believe that mankind should focus on finding solutions to undo the current damage that we have done to our planet, before we look "above" in exploring alternative space options.
We must take the lessons we have learned from "below here on earth, so that we do not recreate the same mistakes "above" in space.
Space based solar energy is one such alternative, that offers many possibilities.
The current hydro carbon model is flawed, and is not a consistent means of renewable energy.
Not only is there great expense and pollution involved in this antiquated energy, but it also poses a myriad of countless geo-political issues.
Although nuclear energy is seemingly reliable, as evidenced by the fact that the planet has over 400 nuclear plants worldwide, with only a small percentage of them reporting any significant accidents.
The problem however is, that even one accident, is one too many, and can have catastrophic global ramifications.
Like we saw with the recent Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, where we helplessly witnessed our atmosphere transport this nuclear radiation worldwide, in only a matter of a couple of weeks.
Hydro carbon and nuclear energies are not long term solutions.
Although we may not witness space harnessed solar energy in our lifetime, it is certainly an overall better solution.
Solar energy is renewable, but solar energy captured from earth is not practical, as the majority of solar energy is reflected by our atmosphere, and the remainder of it is then absorbed by our clouds, making only a small fraction of it able to reach our planet.
The earths "day and night cycle" also reduce its effectiveness.
It also requires a lot of space to try and harness solar energy to full capacity.
Some estimates suggest it would take approximately 3.
3 million square miles or 25% of Africa to harness this energy effectively creating a huge ecological strain to the planet.
The same issue also exists in trying to convert algae into biofuels which also requires a sizable amount of landscape to be used to reap significant rewards.
So, what is the solution? The best solution to date is harnessing solar energy in space.
In space, there are no clouds or "day and night cycles" to contend with, and there are no spacial limitations as our universe is abundant and expansive.
By placing solar collectors above the atmosphere it will be far more affective (some estimates suggest up to 14 times more than land based collectors).
So, once solar energy is collected in space, how would we send this energy back to earth? Here in lies the challenge, but not one without a solution.
For years, NASA has been working on a space based energy program, and they have figured out how to channel this space based solar energy back to earth through the use of microwave radiation.
Once it reaches earth (via microwave beam) it is then converted to electricity which can then power the electrical grids.
The US and Japan seem to be at the forefront of this technology, so it will be interesting to see what other advances this technology will make in the future.
Some speculate that the development of solar energy in space via microwave technology will begin as a military project first, eventually filtering down into civilian type technologies.
So it may in fact be years (or our lifetime) before this technology is widely in use and mainstream.
Another drawback to this energy is that like any object in space, it can be vulnerable to attack (by enemy missiles or space objects such as: meteors, asteroids or other "space junk"), and will require protection of some sort.
Some suggest we may have to fully militarize space in order to make this option a tangible possibility.
Space based energy is a promising sector, but one in which still has its limitations (although seemingly much less, earth based environmental consequences, than our traditional carbon and nuclear counterparts).
Not only will the realization of such an undertaken be years away, it also poses a genuine threat to the natural occurring universe as we know it.
In much the same way as humans have ravaged the earth's resources to the point of scarcity, space "our final frontier "risks having the same fate, should humans try and explore or dominate it in the name of technological advancement.
Also, the current microwave technologies are still in its infancy, and the long term effects of this technology are still unknown.
I think we still need to focus on earth based green technologies that will require less landscape to implement clean energies on a large scale.
I also believe that mankind should focus on finding solutions to undo the current damage that we have done to our planet, before we look "above" in exploring alternative space options.
We must take the lessons we have learned from "below here on earth, so that we do not recreate the same mistakes "above" in space.
