Power from space

This is a concise review of possibilities and prospects for power generation in space for terrestrial use. Advantages of this approach to power production, the economic and technological obstacles to be overcome, various conceptual approaches, including solar photovoltaic, solar dynamic, nuclear, and the use of chemical energy, and recommendations for progress are summarized. In view of the rising demand for energy, and of the diminishing fuel and available terrestrial area, the use of space for power generation seems-to be inevitable: (1) It allows highest energy conversion efficiency, provides the best heat sink, makes best use of solar energy, and relieves the Earth from the penalties of power generation. (2) Both the costs of launching payloads into space and those of energy transmission are declining. The major obstacle is the exorbitantly high cost, which under current conditions requires, for example, the reduction of space transportation costs about a hundredfold for competitiveness. Other issues also need to be resolved, some of general nature, such as environmental effects and security and legal aspects, and some system specific, such as safety of nuclear power plants, and the realization of higher energy conversion and transmission efficiencies. Generation of power in space for terrestrial use will require massive resources, strong international cooperation, and several decades. A staged approach, fortified by developing applications collateral with space power, such as space-to-space power beaming for powering satellites, power relaying by orbital microwave or laser beam reflectors, and orbital mirrors for extended periods of terrestrial illumination, is recommended. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.