Just when you thought the sky couldn't get any worse

[DaveS]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62636746

 

 

[RobertI]

This thing will be 6km long!! And it’s helix shaped so a part of it will always be reflecting the sun. And it’s in geostationary orbit over the UK so it will always be visible. Quick calculation, I reckon it will appear 35” in diameter in the sky, which is about half the size of the ISS. So I think we can expect it to look like a bright star of around magnitude -2 or -3 permanently in the night sky in the UK and surrounds. 

[DaveS]

From a search I find the UK generating capacity is 75.8 GW.

How much of that do we want to come from orbital solar?

What is the conversion efficiency from microwave received to electricity supplied to the grid?

What is the conversion efficiency from solar radiation received to microwaves transmitted?

No, I don't know the figures, and I doubt anyone else does at the moment, but these questions have to be addressed.

[DaveS]

26 minutes ago, RobertI said:

This thing will be 6km long!! And it’s helix shaped so a part of it will always be reflecting the sun. And it’s in geostationary orbit over the UK so it will always be visible. Quick calculation, I reckon it will appear 35” in diameter in the sky, which is about half the size of the ISS. So I think we can expect it to look like a bright star of around magnitude -2 or -3 permanently in the night sky in the UK and surrounds. 

From where I live even Jupiter at opposition is painfully bright, and that's not mag -2 or -3.

[ONIKKINEN]

If it really is geostationary, it will not be directly above the UK as the UK is nowhere near the equator and the equator is the only place you can have a geostationary orbit. It would be stationary somewhere to the south pretty low in the sky where the most useful imaging and observing areas are not. It could be geosynchronous in a way with a little bit of inclination but an orbital period of 24h. That way it would go up and down in the sky, occasionally dipping below the horizon (not good) and occasionally appearing near the zenith (great). I think that is overall less efficient so the best bet would have it be fully stationary.

[Carbon Brush]

I'm not worried. I doubt it will happen in our lifetime.
It is so much easier and cheaper to build more wind turbines, harness tides, put solar panels on everything, etc.

Not only are there the technical issues of launching and assembling the orbital stuff. But the power density is not safe.
What happens if the guidance system goes awry, or collimation is off? The energy gets beamed to an occupied area.
Anyone who thinks 240W/sq M of RF is OK should bypass the door interlock on their microwave oven and stand in the same room.
Within a short time their relatives will be calling the undetaker.

On the security aspect. A limited hit by an unfriendly power can take out a huge amount of satellite energy capability.
Destroying hundreds of wind turbines and square kilometres of solar arrays takes much more effort.

I have been reading about controlled hydrogen fusion being a reality within 5 to 10 years.
Sorry forgot to mention I have been reading these claims for 50+ years.

The weak link in clean/renewable energy today is storage. When the wind slows and the sun doesn't shine, most UK clean energy stops working.
There are many storage schemes being trialled. Pumping water uphill, moving ballasted rail wagons up hills, silos of hot sand or liquified salt, etc.
Once things improve in this area, we will see more clean energy use.

[DaveS]

We need nuclear, nothing else can provide the base-load in a dependable way.

And we need it 30 years ago.

[RobertI]

1 hour ago, Carbon Brush said:

It is so much easier and cheaper to build more wind turbines, harness tides, put solar panels on everything, etc.

Agreed, and there are so many new technologies in advanced stages of development, I seriously doubt this will get off the ground (excuse the pun) in the short term. Never say never, but not soon. 

[SteveNickolls]

Interesting space based energy weapon with other uses.

Cheers,

Steve

[Ratlet]

1 minute ago, SteveNickolls said:

Interesting space based energy weapon with other uses.

Cheers,

Steve

I seem to remember this in SimCity 2000 where if it failed it would carve a nice laser beam path through your city...

[Nik271]

This is science fiction stuff. Theoretricallly it is possible if you have huge resources to put it into orbit and set it up. But then so is the trip to Mars.

So is the return of human exploration of the Moon and look where this one is currently, in the slow lane if not on the hard shoulder. At some stage the real world starts to mess up the beautiful dream 😞

Edited November 2, 2022 by Nik271
typos

[Gfamily]

5 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

If it really is geostationary, it will not be directly above the UK as the UK is nowhere near the equator and the equator is the only place you can have a geostationary orbit. It would be stationary somewhere to the south pretty low in the sky where the most useful imaging and observing areas are not. It could be geosynchronous in a way with a little bit of inclination but an orbital period of 24h. That way it would go up and down in the sky, occasionally dipping below the horizon (not good) and occasionally appearing near the zenith (great). I think that is overall less efficient so the best bet would have it be fully stationary.

There are Molniya orbits which would have a high proportion of their orbital period over the UK at what would be reasonably high angles in the sky - and I suppose these could be configured so that they drop out of the high angles at night (assuming these are used as solar power collectors as per the OP). 

Molniya orbits are used for communications satellites for use at high latitudes - for example for Siberia and Northern Canada.  The downside for communication is that the ground stations need to have steerable antennae. 

But, as others have said, not apparently feasible at this time

[DaveL59]

I guess if they can reduce the size and weight of the receiver and mount it on the back ot aircraft that'd solve the problem of long distance electric flight, just have specific points in the flight path to pick up an in-flight recharge... Would sure mess with comms while in the charging beam tho, might work, just so long as they've shielded the cockpit and passenger cell adequately so it don't become a tin can full of roast turkeys 😉 

[MarcuSmythe]

I wonder if they could adapt it to burn some clouds off for me....beginning to lose heart!