A new Pentagon study lays out the roadmap for a multibillion-dollar push to the final frontier of energy: a satellite system that collects gigawatts' worth of solar power and beams it down to Earth. The military itself could become the "anchor tenant" for such a power source, due to the current high cost of fueling combat operations abroad, the study says.
A futuristic scheme to collect solar energy on satellites and beam it to Earth has gained a large supporter in the US military. A report released yesterday by the National Security Space Office recommends that the US government sponsor projects to demonstrate solar-power-generating satellites and provide financial incentives for further private development of the technology.
A Pentagon-chartered report urges the United States to take the lead in developing space platforms capable of capturing sunlight and beaming electrical power to Earth.
Taylor Dinerman looks at how solar power satellites could solve the power requirements of the space based radar required for missile defense systems.
Researchers are competing to demonstrate the transmission of energy over long-distances. The technology could enable solar power satellites, new methods of energy distribution, or directed-energy weapons.
Solar power satellites have promised clean, cheap electricity for decades, yet little progress has been made. David Boswell reviews the status of the concept and makes the case for developing a demonstration system.
Scientists from around the world will soon gather to discuss how satellites could be used to address the world's energy needs by relaying solar power to Earth. But the U.S. government's decision to abandon research in 2001 could prevent the alternative energy source from ever seeing the light of day.