- Jun 5, 2000
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Moon could provide all of Earth?s power
An industrial physicist from the US claims that all of the Earth?s fossil fuel-related pollution problems could be solved by using energy from the Moon known as lunar solar power (LSP). In fact, he says, the Moon provides the only affordable and technologically reasonable solution to enabling sustainable energy prosperity on Earth.
All of Earth's energy requirement could be sent from the Moon (courtesy NASA)
According to industrial physicist Dr David Criswell of the University of Houston, the Moon receives 13,000 Terawatts of power from the sun, whereas, the 10 billion people who will be living on Earth by 2050 will require only 20 Terrawatts.
The system for collecting solar power on the Moon would consist of 20-40 power bases on the eastern and western edges of the Moon, as seen from Earth, each comprising arrays of solar cells. Energy collected by the cells would be transmitted through buried electric wires to microwave generators that would convert the solar electricity into microwaves. The generators would then send the energy to screens that reflect the microwave beams toward Earth.
Once on the surface of the planet, the microwave beams would be received by arrays of special antennas strategically placed about the globe. ?Each antenna converts the microwave power to electricity that is fed into the local power grid,? says Criswell.
Criswell is keen to point out that this idea is not science fiction. ?Adequate knowledge of the Moon and practical technologies have been available since the late 1970s to collect this power and beam it to Earth,? said Criswell. This includes low efficiency solar cells; microwave generators ? such as those used in radar, microwave ovens and mobile telephones; phased array radars; power receivers; and reflectors ? such as those used in radio telescopes. Power beaming has also been demonstrated in the past, in support of the 1970s study of space solar power satellites.
?The system can be built on the Moon from lunar materials and operated on the Moon and on Earth using existing technologies,? said Criswell. Materials from the Moon that could be used include bulk soil and separated soil fractions that can be melted by concentrated sunlight and formed into thin glass sheets and fibres or into rods, tubes, bricks and other more complex components. Silicon, aluminium and iron can also be chemically extracted from lunar soil.
With no oxygen, water, atmospheric chemicals, or life present on the Moon to damage solar cells, the equipment would be dependable for many decades, says Criswell. The only threat would come from micrometeors, which would erode the solar collectors less than 1 mm every million years.
?LSP is probably the only option for powering a prosperous world within the 21st century,? says Criswell. ?However, it does require a return to the Moon.? The system depends on some human occupation of the moon in order to build and run the lunar bases. ?Once we are back and operating at large scale then going down the various learning curves will make travelling to the Moon and working there ?routine?.?
?I believe that interest [in the theory] is growing,? said Criswell.
With regard to any possible health hazards caused by the arrival of the microwaves at the Earth?s surface, Criswell explained to edie that each LSP beam can be restricted in intensity to less than 20% of that of noon-time sunlight. ?The power beams will be received in industrially zoned areas from which the public is excluded. The intensity beneath or beyond those receivers ? called rectennas ? will be very low compared to what is now accepted for continuous exposure of the general population. If society desires, the rectennas can be placed in very remote locations and the intensity of the beams can be decreased. The cost of the energy will increase in proportion. It is society?s choice,? he said.
Criswell?s work is published in the April/May issue of The Industrial Physicist, produced by the American Institute of Physics. His ideas are also included in a book, Innovative Energy Strategies for CO2 stabilisation, due to be published by Cambridge University Press in June.
Moon could provide all of Earth?s power
An industrial physicist from the US claims that all of the Earth?s fossil fuel-related pollution problems could be solved by using energy from the Moon known as lunar solar power (LSP). In fact, he says, the Moon provides the only affordable and technologically reasonable solution to enabling sustainable energy prosperity on Earth.
All of Earth's energy requirement could be sent from the Moon (courtesy NASA)
According to industrial physicist Dr David Criswell of the University of Houston, the Moon receives 13,000 Terawatts of power from the sun, whereas, the 10 billion people who will be living on Earth by 2050 will require only 20 Terrawatts.
The system for collecting solar power on the Moon would consist of 20-40 power bases on the eastern and western edges of the Moon, as seen from Earth, each comprising arrays of solar cells. Energy collected by the cells would be transmitted through buried electric wires to microwave generators that would convert the solar electricity into microwaves. The generators would then send the energy to screens that reflect the microwave beams toward Earth.
Once on the surface of the planet, the microwave beams would be received by arrays of special antennas strategically placed about the globe. ?Each antenna converts the microwave power to electricity that is fed into the local power grid,? says Criswell.
Criswell is keen to point out that this idea is not science fiction. ?Adequate knowledge of the Moon and practical technologies have been available since the late 1970s to collect this power and beam it to Earth,? said Criswell. This includes low efficiency solar cells; microwave generators ? such as those used in radar, microwave ovens and mobile telephones; phased array radars; power receivers; and reflectors ? such as those used in radio telescopes. Power beaming has also been demonstrated in the past, in support of the 1970s study of space solar power satellites.
?The system can be built on the Moon from lunar materials and operated on the Moon and on Earth using existing technologies,? said Criswell. Materials from the Moon that could be used include bulk soil and separated soil fractions that can be melted by concentrated sunlight and formed into thin glass sheets and fibres or into rods, tubes, bricks and other more complex components. Silicon, aluminium and iron can also be chemically extracted from lunar soil.
With no oxygen, water, atmospheric chemicals, or life present on the Moon to damage solar cells, the equipment would be dependable for many decades, says Criswell. The only threat would come from micrometeors, which would erode the solar collectors less than 1 mm every million years.
?LSP is probably the only option for powering a prosperous world within the 21st century,? says Criswell. ?However, it does require a return to the Moon.? The system depends on some human occupation of the moon in order to build and run the lunar bases. ?Once we are back and operating at large scale then going down the various learning curves will make travelling to the Moon and working there ?routine?.?
?I believe that interest [in the theory] is growing,? said Criswell.
With regard to any possible health hazards caused by the arrival of the microwaves at the Earth?s surface, Criswell explained to edie that each LSP beam can be restricted in intensity to less than 20% of that of noon-time sunlight. ?The power beams will be received in industrially zoned areas from which the public is excluded. The intensity beneath or beyond those receivers ? called rectennas ? will be very low compared to what is now accepted for continuous exposure of the general population. If society desires, the rectennas can be placed in very remote locations and the intensity of the beams can be decreased. The cost of the energy will increase in proportion. It is society?s choice,? he said.
Criswell?s work is published in the April/May issue of The Industrial Physicist, produced by the American Institute of Physics. His ideas are also included in a book, Innovative Energy Strategies for CO2 stabilisation, due to be published by Cambridge University Press in June.
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