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Meet the Camras Satellite Team…. Sara Glade Jeffrey Wolfe Nicole Valio. Solar Power Satellites “Building Up Instead of Drilling Down”. What is SBSP?. SBSP = Space Based Solar Power Source of renewable energy Satellites gather energy from sunlight in space and transmit to Earth.
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Meet the Camras Satellite Team…. Sara Glade Jeffrey Wolfe Nicole Valio
Solar Power Satellites“Building Up Instead of Drilling Down”
What is SBSP? • SBSP = Space Based Solar Power • Source of renewable energy • Satellites gather energy from sunlight in space and transmit to Earth
Assessment from the National Security Space Office • 40 years ago – SBSB was invented • 1995 – “Fresh-Look Study” • September 11, 2001 – oil prices increased • 2007 – SBSP study group of experts
SBSP Satellites • Geosynchronous orbit • Three parts: • Collectors: solar/ photovoltaic cells • Transmitter: microwave or laser • Receiver: receiving antenna (rectenna)
Quiz A satellite-based solar panel can collect power for how many hours per day? • 6 hours • 12 hours • 15 hours • 24 hours
Can’t We Just Use Land-Based Solar Power ? • Land-based solar power does not obtain full potential energy from sun • Energy is lost through the atmosphere, day/night cycles, & weather • SBSP works regardless of cloud cover, wind speed, time of day, or season • Solar platforms in space gather at least 8 times more energy than land-based solar platforms
Why SBSP? • Radiation from the sun reaching earth in 1 hour = more energy than all humankind uses in 1 year • SBSP = unfiltered energy from the sun both day and night • Solar flux from a 1 km-wide band orbit for 1 year = energy contained in all known recoverable oil reserves in the world
More Benefits of SBSP… • Energy independence (fossil fuels are limited) • Eliminate need for unstable/ hostile foreign oil providers • Stimulate economy, provide jobs • Defensive purposes • Solve problem of climate change (no more greenhouse gas emissions)
Cost? • Fundamental economic question: will the revenue from the power supplied significantly exceed the cost of building/ launching/ operating the satellite? • Operating costs = $600 million • Annual revenue estimates = $2.6 billion
Feasibility? • High development cost • But consider the cost of not developing SBSP... • American military in Middle East costs money and lives • Coordinated national program to cover initial costs?
Solaren Corporation wants to launch solar power collectors… "If this works, it changes the whole game. If they manage to reduce the cost sufficiently for space-based solar generation, the electric game changes, the natural gas game changes and, perhaps, even the oil game changes." - Frederick H. Pickel (energy consultant and engineering economist)
Thank you! “When it comes to energy, it’s time to look to the sky.” - Message on Space Solar Power to the Next President
Sources • Space Based Solar Power As an Opportunity for Strategic Security , National Security Space Office • Connecting the Dots to Future Electric Power By Edward J. Bair • Satellite Images Bridge Understanding Gap between Climate Change and Individuals By Kevin P. Corbley • Climate Change in Our World Posted by Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist and Phil Verney, Google Earth Community Development • Energy Resources: Ohio Town Teams with Wind Power Company, UPI.com