Cleaner Greener Energy Sources to Save Our Planet
By Michael George Hunt

World economies are developing and growing faster than any time in history. But are we really progressing? Skyscrapers are becoming more numerous as forests are getting smaller. Factories are producing more goods as air and water become more polluted. car ownership is rising while ocean temperatures are rising and glaciers are melting. It is now possible to sail through the Arctic Circle to the other side of the North Pole because the polar icecaps are melting “thanks” to global warming. We need to stop the deterioration of Planet Earth before it is too late. Otherwise things like air and water will become precious commodities because of the great expense necessary to decontaminate them and purify them before we can breathe and drink. You may drink this is a scene out of sci-fi futuristic movies like Terminator II but the nuclear power plants in Japan is a warning sign. Oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico are another warning sign.

We need more funding for the research and development of cleaner and safer, GREENER, energy sources now. Fossil fuels are not about to run out because we have the technology to develop more efficient engines and to drill deeper to get the oil, gas and coal out of the ground. In 1970 OPEC predicted that the world’s oil supplies would dry up in about 40 years. That was based on the technology available 40 years ago and the exploration skills of 40 years ago. Now, in the 21st century, the rationing of oil is still controlled by the oil-rich nations of the Middle East. One theory goes says that if alternative energy technologies develop too fast the oil and gas companies will go broke. What a lot of BS… Solar energy and wind energy will save our planet! Isn’t this much more important.

Recently our family went on a South Pacific cruise. The ship was powered by gigantic diesel engines. Can you imagine how much marine life is being destroyed by all the ships that sail across the oceans and around the world? I asked the ship’s engineer about the viability of alternative energy sources like solar energy and wind power. He welcomed my query and for all for more nature, cleaner energy to support the company’s “Save the Waves” ocean environment protection program. However, if the ship used solar power there wouldn’t be enough space on the upper deck to generate sufficient power to run the ship. If the ship ran on wind power through numerous windmills it would only sail at a fraction of its current speed. Also he said that wind energy was unreliable due to calm days at sea. (Passengers enjoy a calm journey not high seas. High winds might generate more wind energy but also rougher seas.)

If we don’t take immediate action to clean up planet Earth our grandchildren won’t have any forests to hike in and they won’t be able to see animals in their natural habitats. The future of our world environment is at stake. Cleaner energies are essential to sustain the growing population of this planet otherwise pollution will choke us to death. Cleaning up from energy related accidents is very costly indeed. Isn’t is best to avoid these costs altogether by using cleaner and safer energy sources? Firstly, the biggest challenge is how to make these energy sources more efficient and viable. But it must be achieved to save our Planet Earth!

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The 21st century is full of examples of sci-fi becoming just plain science, and none is more startling than PowerSat Corporation’s determination to float solar panels in space to trap sunlight and beam the energy back to earth in the electromagnetic equivalent of radio waves.

It’s an idea ahead of its time, but solar radiation is five times stronger than any place on earth because all the atmospheric particulates and carbon dioxide don’t reduce solar inputs. There are also no clouds or storms to worry about; thus the Sun transfers nearly 100% of its energy to the solar panel.

There are, however, obstacles to space-based solar power, one being getting the panels into the ionosphere without spending a gazillion dollars, and the other involves wiring the array.

PowerSat recently filed a patent meant to solve both problems. Of course, we can’t give you the precise details, but it seems the company will build a solar array and use the power from that (code name SPOT, or Solar Power Orbital Transfer) to launch some (half, one-quarter?) of the panels into orbit via electronic thruster technology – a move that reportedly saves $1 billion.

The second solution is similar to cloud computing, or linking remote desktops to create a more powerful computer. Reportedly, PowerSat’s system – code name Brightstar – could connect as many as 300 smaller arrays into one huge one, convert the direct-current (DC) energy into radio-frequency energy, and beam that down to earth to be converted into electricity at the substation. Scotty is not part of that plan, however.

PowerSat says the inventions could save $1 billion of the estimated cost of putting 2,500 megawatts of solar panels in space, but doesn’t say how much money is still required to accomplish the feat. A 2007 Pentagon report suggests $1 billion per megawatt, with the project technically doable by 2016. Still, if one does the numbers, the distance to grid parity remains enormous. At least on earth, we’re getting close to parity, with the U.S. aiming for $.10 cents in 2010 and Europe, with its much higher utility costs, expecting parity within a decade.

Parity is the point at which renewable energy technologies like solar and wind cost customers the same amount per kilowatt hour as traditional energy sources like coal and oil.

PowerSat isn’t the first company looking to space for solar energy. Two months ago, Solaren announced a contract with California-based Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which has promised to buy its entire output of space-based solar power – 200 megawatts by 2016.

Solaren, now 10 years old, remains confident it can meet that deadline. PowerSat, a mere eight years old, seems equally confident of its expertise. Is it the optimism of youth, or do these guys know something that has eluded the rest of us science neophytes?

Time will tell, perhaps in as little as three years, when PowerSat launches a low-earth-orbit, 10-kilowatt demonstration project at a cost of about $100 million, followed in 2015 by a prototype. If success ensues, the company will seek out a partnership with a utility or the government, or offer an IPO to generate the funds needed for step two. Projections estimate the cost of a 2.5-gigawatt project at about $4.5 billion.

Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar energy resource page contains articles and tools about solar panels to help with your solar project.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-power-in-space-can-power-the-planet-1317132.html

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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