by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: October 29, 2008   Last Updated: November 05, 2008

Finding ways of using the the sun for energy as it shines on earth is daunting enough; why compound these problems with the problems of getting it from there to here? At first glance i thought using solar power in space meant using the sun to power space missions and taking care of needs while manned and unmanned space craft orbited the earth - which it probably does to some degree - but never did I imagine that solar power in space meant earth beamed energy ready for use on the sun.

That's like reinventing the universe! Why bother going after the energy of the sun, the wind, the water when it is already here? The catalyst that forms energy from the sun, the moon and the stars is already in place. All we have to do is to convert the solar energy that is delivered to us into a useable source. When that is insufficient, or our knowledge of how to use it wisely has not caught up with our desire for more and more, we then can align our lifestyles accordingly.

Hopefully the best laid plans are already at work and they are in the form of affordable solar panels and now suddenly places using the sun for energy are increasingly plentiful. While many stalled and grumbled about the high cost of Photovoltaic panels (PV) others were busy successfully experimenting with what will work.

Reports about solar energy from space are not as easily found online as are those about earth supported solar energy. Therefore. the conclusion is that more effort is made toward using the sun as it's is delivered to us. Yet, I did find one NASA report posted October 17, 2007 that had a hopeful note or two. The first paragraph of Jennifer Macey's report: "The pentagon's report says space-based power stations could provide clean energy and avert potential energy security conflicts when oil supplies run lowspace has become the new frontier for energy security"

That was only a proposal for a study to see how feasible the idea was. Yet the question of how to get the captured energy in space down to earth came up. That, plus the expense of launching the satellites and all that space venturing costs, possibly is the biggest reason to forestall any such lofty ideals.

Dreamers and those who dare dream such otherworldly dreams have been toying around with this idea for forty years, more or less, although nothing has actually come of it. It has been cost prohibitive thus far. One knowledgeable source says the Pentagon wants to "build a pilot solar power station to orbit the earth within six years which would cost the United States $11.3 billion dollars." And that would be just the beginning.

With the world economy as it is today, we can well imagine that idea is now in limbo awaiting a more workable solution. Perhaps an earthier one. Reading on, some of the scientific ideas did make sense so we will have to wait and see what is more feasible. As I read one no sooner did one idea make sense than it would be downgraded by a negative thought. But one thing is sure, solar power is making advances and is creating hope. It is not as cheap as sitting in the sun fifteen minutes a day to get your supply of needed vitamin D as opposed to buying supplements, but that's a good analogy.

Source:

http://thestatesman.net/page.acrview

h ttp://spacefuture.com/archive

http://www.aos,org/unit s/fps/newsletter/2004/april

http://greeninc.blogs.nyt imes.com

http://bizjournals.com/louisville/stories

htt p://sciencedaily.com

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