PG&E Seeks Approval of Contract to Get Solar Power From Space

[bananas]

Source: Bloomberg

April 13 (Bloomberg) -- Pacific Gas & Electric, the California utility owned by PG&E Corp., is seeking regulatory approval to contract with a company that intends to deliver solar power from space.

The utility wants to purchase 200 megawatts of solar power over 15 years from Solaren Corp., a Manhattan Beach, California- based startup, according to a posting on a Pacific-Gas-supported Web site. The contract, which will be submitted for approval by the California Public Utilities Commission, would be the first of its kind, according to the posting.

Solaren, which is staffed by satellite engineers and scientists who worked for the U.S. Air Force and Hughes Aircraft Company, plans to beam solar-panel generated power from earth- orbiting satellites to a station in Fresno County in California, according to the posting. The power would be beamed using radio frequency energy that would then be converted to electricity and fed into PG&E’s power grid.

The contract would start in 2016, Jonathan Marshall, a spokesman for PG&E, said today in an interview.

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Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601130&sid=asv...

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This is very good news. California is known for its strict regulatory processes, this project will be carefully evaluated environmentally and financially. Space solar will eventually be a major source of energy, the major stumbling block has been launch cost and panel weight, those are reaching the point where it is becoming economically competitive with other power sources.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. This seems bogus.

[NYC_SKP]

4. Ya think?

http://www.next100.com/2009/04/space-solar-power-the-ne...

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090413-710658.htm...

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12134648

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30198977 /

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/04/1...

http://www.pge.com/about/environment/pge/cleanenergy/in...

I think it's for real.

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. Ya I think

[truthisfreedom]

2. Totally harebrained. Why put such an enormous amount of energy into beamed radiation?

It's a total hazard. These people are as nuts as the scientists who thought nuclear power was safe.

[TheMadMonk]

9. Truth is what? Perhaps you might want to try IgnoranceisBliss.

It's always a good idea to learn something of a subject before spouting off on it.

Even at the rate of one Chernobyl level event per year, nuclear power would still kill far fewer people per gigawatt generated than coal. At the real rate of one such event in >50 years the saftey record of nuclear power is more than proven.

Regarding beamed power from space. The power beam would: a) be confined to a fenced off receiver station and switched off if it wandered outside those confines; and b) be limited to an energy density that would not cause harm to any birds or planes that might fly through it.

[justaregularperson]

10. Safety record? The area 50 miles around Chernobyl will be unsafe for centuries

Just because mass die-offs don't occur does not mean it did not have huge effects on the population. One of my good friends had brain tumors from it and was fortunate to live and another relative who lived 300 miles away lost her hair as a child and cannot have children. There is an epidemic of ovarian tumors and it is slowly coming out to be partially responsible for the birth rate declines in nearby countries.

Sure, there has been a lot of money and power put into place to cover up the truth of the extent of nuclear leaks and accident effects. We don't have anything near truthful data on these facilities.

[TheMadMonk]

12. I am not claiming all those things didn't happen.

What I am saying, is that even if worst case events were to happen at a rate more than 50 times more frequently than they have occured to date, then the casualty rate would still lag behind that of coal fired power.

And arguably Chernobyl should not actually be factored into nuclear energy's safety record, since it was essentially made to happen by actions that were way, way, way outside proper operating parameters.

Concrete and granite are more radioactive than a great deal of so called nuclear waste.

[truthisfreedom]

11. You speak like an expert...

but this has never been done before. There's no reason to beam power from space. We have PLENTY of space here on the ground.

[TheMadMonk]

13. I'm no expert, but I am familiar with the subject.

Indeed, power has not been beamed down from space. However, it has been beamed from point A to point B on the surface in experiments to prove the concept. It works, and works well. This idea has been kicking around since the early 70s and it was doable with only basic engineering improvments on the technology of the day. And of course a few truckloads of cash.

The intensity of the beam above the receiver array is somewhat less than that in the near vicinity of a high power radio or television transmitter.

There are a number of good reasons to beam power from space. 24/7 sunlight at an intensity far higher than available on the ground for starters. The land on which the receiver array is built can be used for other purposes (presumably agriculture). The potential exists for using the same technology to shape the weather, robbing storms of their power or diverting them away from population centers, or to bring rain to where it is needed.

Unlike solar panels, the receiver for beamed power consists of nothing but bits of bent wire and diodes. Thus it makes sense to situate the expensive solar panels which will power the transmitter where you can get the most out of them.

[kristopher]

3. Wow.

I didn't see this coming. I wonder if thin film printing is what makes it possible?

[NYC_SKP]

6. I'm trying to track this down.

Reportedly originally released here:

http://www.next100.com/2009/04/space-solar-power-the-ne...

[Dead_Parrot]

5. lol

[diane in sf]

8. what a dumb fucking boondoggle this is (if it's true)

[sofa king]

14. The concept has been batted around forever.

Officially, the concept was first proposed by Dr. Peter Glaser in 1968, certainly one of the more colorful individuals in space history. Glaser patented a number of parts and plans starting in 1969.

As is to be expected, the Pentagon likes the concept a lot. Being able to transmit power on demand to units in the field would be a game-changer from war prevention theories to single-unit tactics.

[Mari333]

15. OMG they bought the SUN! nt