Go Solar Power For Homes

Here’s an idea that we at Go Solar Power For Homes Dot Com absolutely love the sound of. How about sending loads of solar panels out into space, line them up so they are facing the sun and then have them send back all that solar power for homes back to us! Sounds great, don’t you think?

Well the truth is that beaming solar power for homes from space is not a new concept. In fact, American scientist Peter Glaser came up with the idea of space solar power way back in 1968. Indeed, NASA and the United States Department of Energy gave extensive consideration to the idea  throughout the 1970s and decided that the theoretically it is possible, but the cost of assembling all the technology and then the added cost of sending it all out to space put the whole thing out of reach.

The idea was that satellites could electromagnetically beam solar energy back to receivers on Earth to create solar power for homes. The gigawatts upon gigawatts of solar energy could easily be turned into electrical energy. This could then be fed into the national grid providing almost unlimited amounts of solar power for homes. 

Of course, these satellites, circling high about planet Earth, wouldn’t have to worry about it becoming night time. They’d be way up above the earth’s shadow. So they could beam energy back to us all day every day throughout the year.

Clean, renewable electricity coming at us all around the clock? Endless quantities of solar power for homes? How good is that?!!!

‘All good’, you’d think, but then along comes a scientist to bring us back down to earth (excuse the pun!) The problem was a straight forward one according to John Mankins, the former president of the Space Power Association and NASA technologist. “The estimated cost of all the infrastructure to build this in space was about $1 trillion … an unimaginable amount of money.”

In the mid-90s, NASA looked again but then for no great reason they just stopped. By the start of this millennium, the whole idea had been pretty much scrapped.

However, fresh enthusiasm has been injected into this debate recently by Charles Miller, director of the Space Frontier Foundation, a group promoting public access to space.

“The country that takes the lead on space solar power will be the energy-exporting country for the entire planet for the next few hundred years,” Miller said. No wonder people are looking agin. He’s suggesting a process whereby solar power for homes would be supported ad infinitum.

However, it would appear that the U.S. faces stiff competition from Russia, China, India and even the European Union. That’s not to mention Japan. Their government has been pouring millions of dollars into space power studies for decades … and they’re giving out signs that they’re about ready to run out some real-time testing very soon.

Is this fast developing into the new space race?

Let’s not get too excited just yet though. Enormous engineering challenges still need to be overcome. The operation will probably need equipment that’s literally a mile long, or longer. This would take hundreds of components to construct using advanced robot technology.

Then there is the matter of finding someone to foot the bill. This is likely to cost in the order of billions of dollars. Even Bill Gates would have to stretch to raise those funds. Nevertheless, we think that the important thing to get here is that some of the great minds of our generation agree that getting our solar power for homes from space outposts really is possible.

Not only that but incredibly Miller said he thinks it will be possible in the next 10 years. “We could see the first operational power satellite in about the 2020 time frame if we act now,” he said.

Bring it on! Go solar power for homes!

From Sam Deane,
your solar power for homes guide,
at www dot go solar power for homes dot com.

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Info via: cnn.com
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