LUNAR SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

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LUNAR SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

• Dr. David R. Criswell
• Inst. Space Systems Operations
• Un. Houston and UH-Clear Lake
• dcriswell_at_houston.rr.com
• 281-486-5019

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NEED ADEQUATE GLOBAL POWER

• EXISTING GLOBAL POWER SYSTEM
• 1 billion rich people use electric equivalent
  of 2 kWe/person
• 5 billion poor people use 0.6 kWe/person
• Global power use is equivalent of
• 220 million barrels of oil/day, or
• 4.8 1012 Watts-electric 4.8 TWe
• Not renewable, are polluting, depend on
  politically sensitive regions, or are too
  expensive for most people
• NEEDED GLOBAL POWER SYSTEM
• Now (2 kWe/person 6 billion people) 12 TWe
• By 2050 10 billion prosperous people will need
  20 TWe
• Power must be clean, safe, affordable,
  dependable, sustainable

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SOLUTION LUNAR SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

• SUN SENDS 13,000 TWs OF RELIABLE SOLAR POWER TO
  LUNAR SURFACE
• BASES ON MOON CONVERT SOLAR POWER TO MICROWAVE
  BEAMS

• BEAMS DELIVER POWER TO RECTENNAS
• Safe (lt20 of sunlight)
• Reliable (through clouds, rain, smoke, etc.)
• RECTENNAS ON EARTH
• Convert beams to electricity
• Deliver electricity to power grid

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POWER BEAMING

• SPECIALIZED FORM OF RADAR
• EARTH-TO-MOON DEMONSTRATED BY ARECIBO

• MOON-TO-EARTH BEAMING IS REASONABLE EXTENSION OF
  EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES
• Large phased arrays
• Distributed arrays (ex. VLA)

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EARTHS MOON LSP POWER BASES

• MOON WITH BASES
• Receives 13,000 TWs
• Bases built using known lunar materials in known
  environment
• 10 POWER BASE PAIRS
• Always face the Earth
• Beam 20 30 TWe to Earth

Harvested Moon
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DEMONSTRATION LSP BASE

• EARTH IS FIXED IN SKY
• BASE IS COMPOSED OF POWER PLOTS
• POWER PLOT - BASIC UNIT
• 1 Solar arrays, buried wiring
• 2 Microwave transmitters
• 3 Reflectors form a large lens as seen from
  Earth
• 1, 2, 3 ARE MADE FROM LUNAR MATERIALS BY 4,
  5, 6 PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT

Harvesting the Moon
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MASS COST PROJECTIONS

• 20 TWe BY 2050 1,000 TWe-y BY 2070
• 90 local manufacturing tele-operation from
  Earth
• 1105 km2 of reflective rectennas on Earth (0.8
  T)

• COST DISTRIBUTION
• 75 first 30 years
• 12 years breakeven
• TOTAL REVENUE 80 T _at_ 1 /kWe-h
• REVENUE NOT INCLUDED
• Clean energy premium
• Rectenna area dual-use

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PROJECTED LSP ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES

• ENERGY COST REDUCED BY 10 TO 100 TIMES
• FAST GROWTH IN CAPACITY PROFITS THROUGH
• Exponential growth in the number of power plots
  by manufacturing production equipment from lunar
  materials
• Beamed power that reduces space lunar
  operational costs
• Low rectenna cost dual use of rectenna sites
• DELIVERS NET NEW ENERGY TO EARTH
• Energy payback lt 1 month
• Enhances value of large international investments
  in developing nations
• Can increase world income by a factor of five or
  more

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LSP ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES

• ELECTRICITY FROM RECTENNAS
• Does not produce greenhouse gasses, fuel spills,
  nuclides, dust, industrial wastes, etc.
• Eliminates need for hazardous facilities
  (nuclear, dams, mines, etc.)
• Enables biosphere-independent power
• Enables remediation of environmental damage,
  recycling of goods, and non-polluting services
  and transport
• ENABLES PLANETARY PROTECTION
• Solar reflectors made from lunar materials adjust
  solar flux onto Earth
• Specialized LSP beams gently deflect dangerous
  asteroids comets

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ENERGY NANO-TECH CHALLENGES

• LSP CAN PROVIDE gt1 TWe WITHIN 15 YEARS
• NO TECHNICAL BARRIERS
• Manufacturing on Moon scales down cost enhances
  growth
• Nano-techonologies may enhance growth rate
  lower transport cost
• Space Moon are safe environments for nano-tech
  demonstrations

• COST ISSUES
• Government return to Moon
• Government-to-industry transition
• New industrial practices
• Microwave spectrum allocations
• SUSTAINABILITY
• gt 1 billion years
• Can protect and nurture the biosphere

UH TcSAM lunar pv production
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LSP SYSTEM SUMMARY

• LSP UNDERSTOOD
• BASED ON gt 1B OF SPACE POWER LUNAR STUDIES
• PROFITABLE WITH 1980s TECHNOLOGY
• CAN ENABLE SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL PROSPERITY

1971 - If we had stayed!
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RECENT LSP REFERENCES

• Innovative Solutions for CO2 Stabilization (2002)
  (R. Watts - editor) Cambridge Un. Press (Chapter
  9)
• The Industrial Physicist, (2002) p. 12-15, April
  ( letters June, August, October)
  http//www.tipmagazine.com
• 17th (1998) 18th (2001) World Energy Congresses
  (website - search on lunar)