Lunar solar power system: System options, costs, and benefits to earth
- Univ. of Houston, TX (United States). Inst. for Space Systems Operations
The Lunar Solar Power (LSP) System collects solar radiant power on the lunar surface and converts the power to microwaves. LSP transmits multiple microwave power beams directly, or indirectly using orbital reflectors or retransmitters, to earth receivers called rectennas. To achieve low unit cost of energy the lunar portions of the LSP are made primarily of lunar derived components. Construction and operation of the rectennas on Earth dominate the engineering costs of the mature LSP. The relative costs of three LSP systems options are presented. LSP can provide the order of 1,000,000 GWe of low-cost, clean, safe electric energy to Earth that is independent of the biosphere. The life cycle costs of three LSP architectures are compared to those of fossil and nuclear power plants and terrestrial photovoltaic and thermal solar installations. The numerous, fundamental advantages LSP offers over conventional terrestrial power systems include: low cost and clean net energy, low capital and maintenance costs, high ultimate capacity, independence from the biosphere, no significant material waste products, no extra heat load on the biosphere, net new energy that enables the materials recycling, delivery of power directly to major users anywhere on Earth without power lines, and establishing a two-planet economy between the Earth and the Moon.
- OSTI ID:
- 163412
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950729-; TRN: IM9604%%517
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 30. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, Orlando, FL (United States), 30 Jul - 5 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 30. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference. Volume 1; Goswami, D.Y. [ed.] [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)]; Kannberg, L.D.; Somasundaram, S. [eds.] [Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)]; Mancini, T.R. [ed.] [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)]; PB: 798 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Concept of the lunar power system
Cost comparisons of solar power satellites versus lunar based power systems