EADS Astrium is again looking at the idea of collecting solar power from space. H/T Ivan. Power that will be significantly cheaper than any solar power collected on Earth. Personally, bar fusion or one of the newer technologies, I think it is the best way forward and we should be doing it anyway.
The hiccup seems to be that they are looking at having the Project funded by government. Clearly the see it not being profitable but as a test platform and they don’t want to *cough* ‘invest’ that money when they will not be able to recoup it. The way to make it viable is to have a space elevator or magnetic rails to throw the kit into space. A win win. Two technologies from one project instead of the Windmill project, no technology from a fortune invested. Even David Cameron returned his because it was obsolete and he believes in them. A brief moment of sanity. It’ll be unlikely to happen again.
Then all of a sudden they said ‘The tricky bit is the power-beaming technology… in the event of a beam wandering off the receiving station could be a bit messy – indistinguishable from orbital raygun bombardment.’
I think funding could come any day from the US DOD. It’ll be peanuts to them.
Personally, I think it would be safer than a ground based nuclear station. You could turn off the beam or point it elsewhere and it certainly won’t be subject to a group of muslim or green nutters fiddling with it with Semtex vests. Plus, it’s not like we will put the receiving station in London or somewhere. No it will be safely in Baghdada desert somewhere.
If I’m more of an influence on your son as a rapper than you are as a father, you’ve got to look at yourself as a parent. — Ice Cube
Funding issues
EADS Astrium is again looking at the idea of collecting solar power from space. H/T Ivan. Power that will be significantly cheaper than any solar power collected on Earth. Personally, bar fusion or one of the newer technologies, I think it is the best way forward and we should be doing it anyway.
The hiccup seems to be that they are looking at having the Project funded by government. Clearly the see it not being profitable but as a test platform and they don’t want to *cough* ‘invest’ that money when they will not be able to recoup it. The way to make it viable is to have a space elevator or magnetic rails to throw the kit into space. A win win. Two technologies from one project instead of the Windmill project, no technology from a fortune invested. Even David Cameron returned his because it was obsolete and he believes in them. A brief moment of sanity. It’ll be unlikely to happen again.
Then all of a sudden they said ‘The tricky bit is the power-beaming technology… in the event of a beam wandering off the receiving station could be a bit messy – indistinguishable from orbital raygun bombardment.’
I think funding could come any day from the US DOD. It’ll be peanuts to them.
Personally, I think it would be safer than a ground based nuclear station. You could turn off the beam or point it elsewhere and it certainly won’t be subject to a group of muslim or green nutters fiddling with it with Semtex vests. Plus, it’s not like we will put the receiving station in London or somewhere. No it will be safely in
Baghdada desert somewhere.