Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Trends of Concern
• Space-Based Solar Power
– DoD, National, and International Impact
• The Role of U.S. Government Leadership
2
The Energy Challenge
Our Generation’s Challenge
“Prof Einstein,
what do you see “Exponential
as the greatest growth.”
threat to
mankind?”
3
The Energy Challenge
Trends of Concern
Population Energy
4
The Energy Challenge
Future Energy Options Must Be…
• Following wood, coal, and oil, the 4th energy must be*:
– Non-depletable - to prevent resource conflicts
– Environmentally clean – to permit a sustainable future
– [Continuously] Available – to provide base-load security for everyone
– In a usable form – to permit efficient consumption & minimal infrastructure
– Low cost - to permit constructive opportunity for all populations
• A portfolio of substantial investments are needed, but options in the
next 20-30 years are limited…
Source Clean Safe Reliable Base-load
Fossil Fuel No Yes Decades remaining Yes
Nuclear No Yes Fuel Limited Yes
Wind Power Yes Yes Intermittent No
Ground Solar Yes Yes Intermittent No
Hydro Yes Yes Drought; Complex Scheduling
Bio-fuels Yes Yes Limited Qty – Competes w/Food
Space Solar Yes Yes Yes Yes
7
DoD, National, and International Impact
Invest, Survive, Flourish and Grow – A Future History
Sustainable Civilization
Stable Population
Stable Climate
Demographic
Reduce Conflict Transition
Reduce GHG
Less Poverty Stellar Probe
Nations develop
Travel
Industrialization Growth in GDP Export Markets
Telecom Hurricane
Tourism Clean Energy Diversion
Asteroid
OMV Directed Energy Defense
8
DoD, National, and International Impact
SBSP Economic Opportunities
• Energy Sales
– U.S. Energy Companies & Utilities as Global Market Suppliers of Clean Energy
• Space Access
– Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) for Rapid/Low-Cost Space Access (<$500/kg)
– Space Tourism / Travel
– Lunar resource extraction/utilization following NASA exploration
• Orbital Infrastructure
– In-space Transport and Maintenance
– Space Manufacturing Systems
– Robotic Systems
• Power Generation
– High-efficiency/High-volume Space & Terrestrial Solar Collection Systems
– Space & Terrestrial Power Distribution Technology
• Wireless Power Beaming
– Terrestrial Remote Power Transmission (Low-Cost Modern Infrastructure)
– Continuous Electronics Re-Charge (Expanded Wireless Capabilities)
– Enhanced Telecommunications Capabilities (Industrial & Personal)
– Enhanced/Persistent Earth Monitoring (Radar Systems)
9
DoD, National, and International Impact
SBSP National Security Benefits
10
DoD, National, and International Impact
DoD SBSP Energy Applications
11
Capabilities and Challenges
If this has been looked at before, what’s changed?
Technology!
• 40% Efficient Solar Cells!
• Materials / Nanotechnology
• Radar & Laser Technology
• Robotics / In-Space
Construction & Servicing
• Deployable / Gossamer
Structures
• Thermal Protection
• Tethers
NRC-Validated
NASA Fresh-Look &
SERT Studies
12
Capabilities and Challenges
If this has been looked at before, what’s changed?
13
Capabilities and Challenges
Security & the Space Solar Power Option
14
DoD, National, and International Impact
Proposed Vision & Objectives of Space Solar Power
- VISION -
The United States and Partners
enable – within the next 20 years –
the development and deployment of
affordable Space Solar Power
systems that assure the long-term,
sustainable energy security of the
Assured U.S. and all mankind Innovation that
U.S. Preeminence Creates Novel Technologies
in Space Access and and Systems Enabling New,
Operations through Highly Profitable
Dramatic Advances in Industries on Earth
Transformational Space and in Space
Capabilities
15
The Role of U.S. Government Leadership
A Potential Action Plan
• Space-Based Solar Power…
– Should be re-evaluated for technical feasibility and deliverability in a
strategically relevant period (other nations have stated goals & started R&D)
– May offer significant & unique energy security benefits in an international
context
– Requires only a relatively modest additional investment to address key
barriers
– Represents a small departure from existing U.S. (DOD, DOE, NASA)
programs…but involves tremendous synergies with other national goals
• The U.S. may want to consider a major SBSP program
– U.S. Government can play a significant role because its responsibilities and
programs “straddle” energy, security, and space
• Next Steps (Action Items/Options):
– (A) NSSO initial situation-assessment architecture study through Sep 2007
– (O) Sponsor a fast-paced directed ‘quick-look’ study (3-4 months; $500K)
– (O) If the results are positive, a larger scale, ‘seedling-type’ study should be
undertaken to add legitimacy (12 months: $2M)
– (O) Results would inform a range of decisions by NLT 2009
– (O) Form a national SBSP organization w/concept demos in 5-7 years
16
The Role of U.S. Government Leadership
Development Steps for Consideration
• “Quick Look” Study [4-months, $500K]
– “State-of-the-art” review using existing NASA modeling tools
• “Seedling” Study [12-months; $2M]
– Technical, financial, environmental, organizational risk-retirement roadmaps
– Identify legitimate SBSP development partner groups
– Build a credible business case
• Private/Public SBSP Corporation
– Congressionally approved entity using successful Commsat model
• Concept Demonstrations [5-7 years]
– Should include international & entrepreneurial partnership where able
– DARPA-led w/NASA, DOE, NSF & DoD collaboration
• Ground-to-ground high-power microwave or laser transmission
• Ground-to-aerostat-to-ground microwave or laser retransmission
• LEO- and GEO-to-Earth power transmission
• Space-to-space power transmission
• Orbital maneuver & space infrastructure technologies
• Low-cost space access technology development and flight demonstrations
17
The Role of U.S. Government Leadership
Joining Government, Commercial, & Int’l SBSP Interests
NSF
Private Investment
Energy, Aerospace, Telecom, Venture…
International “Intelsat-Type”
Corporation
Energy & Launch Services
18
Conclusion
Space-Based Solar Power – A Strategic Opportunity for America
SPACE-
BASED
SOLAR
POWER
Bring feasibility to the attention of nat’l leadership - highlight USG’s enabling role
19
Back-Up Slides
The Potential of Space Solar Power
Broad Public Support
2002
200
Space Goal • Over the years, a number of goals have been
5 proposed for the U.S. space program including
Build satellites in Earth orbit to missions to Mars (Zubrin 1996), space
32% 35% collect solar energy to beam to colonization (O'Neill 1976), a return to the
utilities on Earth moon (Spudis 1996), and space tourism
Develop the technology to deflect (David 2004). The purpose of this
23% 17% asteroids or comets that might exploratory study was to measure the level
destroy the Earth
of public interest in different space goals.
4% 10% Send humans to Mars
2% 7% Search for life on other planets • Two goals stood out far beyond all others.
The first of these goals was developing the
6% 7% Build a human colony in space capability of using Space-Based Solar Power
Build a base on the moon for (SBSP) or space energy to meet the nation's
5% 4% humans to use for exploration of the energy needs. In 2002 32 percent, nearly 1/3
moon of the respondents, supported this goal. In
Develop a passenger rocket to send 2005, 35 percent, again nearly 1/3 of
3% 6%
tourists into space respondents, supported the development of
None of the above, we should stop SBSP. The second goal that appeared to
11% 2%
spending money on space receive broad support was developing the
13% 10% No Opinion technology to deflect asteroids or comets
that might threaten the Earth with impact
1% 2% None of the above (planetary defense).
2002 Survey - National Space Goals
Matula & Loveland, 2006
21
SBSP is most like Hydroelectric
363 TW-yrs
Total area of a cylinder of 1km width and
perimeter at GEO (w*2*pi*r). In reality, you
Remaining Oil Reserve would not build a ring, and individual
powersats could be turned normal to the
of 1.285 TBBL Sun. However a ring establishes the max
= 249.4 TW-yrs upper limit of energy and is a good
approximation. For a ring, max limit of
More and more of this oil will have to be actual radiation available in a 1km band
used to recover remaining reserves must be reduced by self-shielding (pi/2),
and perhaps worst inclination degrees
(cosine of 23 degrees = .92)
~250 TW-yrs
~212TW-yrs
Annual World
All Recoverable Oil Annual energy Available
Energy Demand
in just 1 km of GEO
(All Forms)
50 TW (2050)
30 TW (2025) Annual Energy-to-Grid On-Earth 21 TW
15 TW (2007) Annual Oil Production ~8TW-yr assuming 10% Solar-to-Grid of 1 km
23
Drilling Up: How large is the GEO solar resource?
1km
• Nigeria 1 • India 23
• North Korea 1.5 • Japan 52
• Burma 1.5 • China 68
• U.S.A. Annual Growth 1-2 • U.S.A. Base-Load 69
• Venezuela 4
• OECD Europe 150
• Thailand 5
• U.S.A. Total Capacity 200
• Mexico 10
• World Today 742
• South Korea 10
– Electric Gen only
• Africa 20
• World 2100 10,000
– All Energy for projected
population at Developed
Lifestyle (50TW)
25
The Limits of SBPS
5 GW
26
A New Approach
Space Power Feasibility Evolution
Study
ESA
DC-X X-33
RLV TAV
NASA/NSF
JIETSBSP
NASA
NASA / DOE Fresh NASA
studies Look SERT
27
Does this look like an energy project to you?
=
• $.7 – 1.2B first unit cost • $1 - 5B
($6-10B Development)