The failure of the General
Electric nuclear reactors in Japan to safely shut down after the 9.0
Tahoku earthquake – on the heels of last year’s catastrophic Deepwater
Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the deadly methane gas
explosion in Massey’s West Virginia coal mine – underscores the grave
dangers to human society posed by current energy production methods.
In Japan, the radiation plume from melting
reactor cores and the smoke of burning spent fuel rods threaten the
lives of the unborn; yet, they point in the direction of a logical
alternative to these failed policies – the generation of an
inexhaustible, safe, pollution-free supply of energy from outer space.
Presently, only the top
industrialized nations have the technological, industrial and economic
power to compete in the race for space-solar energy, with Japan
occupying the inside track in spite of, and perhaps because of, the
current disaster.
Japan is the only nation that has a dedicated space-solar energy program. Japan also is highly motivated to change directions.
China, which has launched
astronauts into an earth orbit and is rapidly become the world’s leader
in the production of wind and solar generation products, will
undoubtedly become a strong competitor.
However, the United States, which
should have every advantage in the race, is most likely to stumble out
of the gate and waste the best chance it has to solve its economic,
energy, political and military problems.
A Miraculous Source of Energy
Space-solar energy is the greatest
source of untapped energy which could, potentially, completely solve
the world’s energy and greenhouse gas emission problems.
The technology currently exists to
launch solar-collector satellites into geostationary orbits around the
Earth to convert the Sun’s radiant energy into electricity 24 hours a
day and to safely transmit the electricity by microwave beams to
rectifying antennas on Earth.
Following its proposal by Dr.
Peter Glaser in 1968, the concept of solar-power satellites was
extensively studied by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). By 1981, the
organizations determined that the idea was a high-risk venture;
however, they recommended further study.
With increases in electricity
demand and costs, NASA took a “fresh look” at the concept between 1995
and 1997. The NASA study envisioned a trillion-dollar project to place
several dozen solar-power satellites in geostationary orbits by 2050,
sending between two gigawatts and five gigawatts of power to Earth.
The NASA effort successfully
demonstrated the ability to transmit electrical energy by microwaves
through the atmosphere; however, the study’s leader, John Mankins, now
says the program “has fallen through the cracks because no organization
is responsible for both space programs and energy security.”
The project may have remained
shelved except for the military’s need for sources of energy in its
campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the cost of gasoline and
diesel exceeds $400 a gallon.
A report by the Defense
Department’s National Security Space Office in 2007 recommended that
the U.S. “begin a coordinated national program” to develop space-based
solar power.
There are three basic engineering
problems presented in the deployment of a space-based solar power
system: the size, weight and capacity of solar collectors to absorb
energy; the ability of robots to assemble solar collectors in outer
space; and the cost and reliability of lifting collectors and robots
into space.
Two of these problems have been
substantially solved since space-solar power was originally proposed.
New thin-film advances in the design of solar collectors have steadily
improved, allowing for increases in the efficiency of energy conversion
and decreases in size and weight.
At the same time, industrial
robots have been greatly improved and are now used extensively in heavy
manufacturing to perform complex tasks.
The remaining problem is the
expense of lifting equipment and materials into space. The last few
flights of the space shuttle this year will cost $20,000 per kilogram
of payload to move satellites into orbit and resupply the space
station.
It has been estimated that
economic viability of space-solar energy would require a reduction in
the payload cost to less than $200 per kilogram and the total expense,
including delivery and assembly in orbit, to less than $3,500 per
kilogram.
Although there are substantial
costs associated with the development of space-solar power, it makes
far more sense to invest precious public resources in the development
of an efficient and reliable power supply for the future, rather than
to waste U.S. tax dollars on an ineffective missile defense system, an
ego trip to Mars, or $36 billion in risky loan guarantees by the DOE to
the nuclear power industry.
With funding for the space shuttle
ending next year and for the space station in 2017, the United States
must decide upon a realistic policy for space exploration, or else it
will be left on the ground by other nations, which are rapidly
developing futuristic space projects.
China is currently investing $35
billion of its hard-currency reserves in the development of
energy-efficient green technology, and has become the world’s leading
producer of solar panels. In addition, China has aggressively moved
into space by orbiting astronauts and by demonstrating a capability to
destroy the satellites of other nations.
Over the past two years, Japan has
committed $21 billion to space-solar energy. By 2030, the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to “put into geostationary orbit a
solar-power generator that will transmit one gigawatt of energy to
Earth, equivalent to the output of a large nuclear power plant.”
Japanese officials estimate that,
ultimately, they will be able to deliver electricity at a cost of $0.09
per kilowatt-hour, which will be competitive with all other sources.
Consortium for Peace
President Kennedy once said, “We
choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because it is easy, but
because it is hard.” The United States readily achieved that objective
and, effectively, won the Cold War.
A similar challenge is now presented in the race for space-solar energy. What, if anything, will President Obama say or do?
Rather than a competition,
however, the United States, China, Japan, and perhaps Russia, should
organize a public service consortium to cooperatively produce energy
from outer space.
Such a consortium could take
advantage of the unique abilities of each nation to collectively
produce space-solar energy, and it would avoid private corporate
domination over the distribution of a product that is essential to human
civilization.
A Space-Solar Energy Consortium
would be a giant step toward world peace and a small leap into the
universe of unlimited and unimaginable futures that surround and await
us.
William John Cox is a
retired prosecutor and public interest lawyer, author and political
activist. His efforts to promote a peaceful political evolution can be
found at VotersEvolt.com, his writings are collected at WilliamJohnCox.com, and he can be contacted at u2cox@msn.com.
Consortium News