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Seriously, ESA? Wireless energy transfer bullshit on a cosmic scale

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Keri Szafir:
When you thought you've seen it all, there's another one coming...
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/08/european-space-chief-says-continent-will-lead-in-space-based-solar-power/

Transmitting such power over a light or microwave beam? The way I see it...
1. The efficiency of power conversion on transmitting and receiving ends
2. Clouds obstructing the beam and absorbing energy
3. Focusing and alignment: a concentrated light beam would have to hit the precise spot, otherwise it's more waste and cause thermal damage
4. Safety: a tens or hundreds kilowatts power microwave beam?
5. The cost and effort of putting something as big up there in the orbit
6. Serviceability and maintenance

helio0centra@gmail.com:
One of those ones that Dave debunked on the EEVBlog You Tube channel: Wi-Charge, uses an infrared laser. And it's efficiency is something like 10%. So the amount of energy you would need to convert and broadcast on the satellite would be ridiculous. And for any useful amount of received energy on the ground it would have to be a very dangerous beam that if you missed the target by a fraction of a degree you would have something like a sci-fi disaster movie.

Haenk:
Plus one should always remember: There is plenty of landmass on earth available - with no population around at all.
Mongolia, Sahara, Namibia are technically not too far away from major energy consuments; Australia has more than enough space, too. North/south America has plenty of free space as well.
So there is no reason for complex space projects with dodgy energy transfers.

tszaboo:
The project might be worth it for the alternative applications. Changing the beam's target could be a mayor deterrent, and might be funded from the military's budget, that we were going to spend anyway.

Haenk:

--- Quote from: tszaboo on August 30, 2022, 09:55:28 am ---The project might be worth it for the alternative applications. Changing the beam's target could be a mayor deterrent, and might be funded from the military's budget, that we were going to spend anyway.

--- End quote ---

You mean something like a James-Bond-ish Space Laser?

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