Luna ring (futuristic energy project?)

[pessimist]

Some Japanese tech company called shimizu is parading this new idea of solar energy generation. The Luna Ring it is called.

Links
http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10003698.html"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUL_rDeKIeU"

I think there are some serious issues with said idea WRT logistics and physics wise. Comments appreciated.

 

[Drakkith]

Heh, the costs involved with a project like that are astronomical. Unless they developed some sort of lunar mining and refining facility and mined most of the required materials directly from the moon, the costs of launching said materiels should make that project near impossible.

 

[ideasrule]

Heh, the costs involved with a project like that are astronomical. Unless they developed some sort of lunar mining and refining facility and mined most of the required materials directly from the moon, the costs of launching said materiels should make that project near impossible.

It's already 2011. By Space Race standards, we should already have a permanent human population on the Moon and perhaps several bases on Mars to boot. Of course, the reality is that human space exploration is essentially dead compared to 40-50 years ago, so we probably shouldn't be expecting even a Moon base--let alone the Luna ring--by 2030.

 

[pessimist]

what about energy transmission? they aim to use microwave radiation, but isn't that kind of transfer prone to high loss?
there is also the problem of asteroids and space rock bombardment.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Solar panels are made of silicon which is plentiful on the moon's surface. Oxygen is also plentiful. Hydrogen is a problem. The gravity well on the moon is much shallower than here on the earth, but it's still bothersome. The right idea is to maglev the surface material over to the libration point L5, refine it there for useful minerals and use the dross for shelter from radiation and smaller projectiles.

 

[Proton Soup]

it will heat the earth

 

[pessimist]

why will it heat the earth? I do not think solar panels would have a high reflection ratio, but of-course i may be wrong.

 

[Proton Soup]

you're beaming energy from the moon to the earth. that is more radiation reaching the surface, and eventually dissipated as heat energy. now, debating the merits of this is a forbidden topic here, but it is an obvious outcome.

 

[pessimist]

oh yes, i did not consider that.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I don't understand the moon part of this idea? Obviously space travel is horrendously expensive in resources and labour, shipping the required industry to the moon would probably have to involve most of the richest industrial zones on Earth.

But back to the "why moon" thing, if they want to put solar panels in space that can beam down energy why not just launch satellites with huge panels and masers?

That's assuming that you actually wanted to, and it was economically viable put power stations in space.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I don't understand the moon part of this idea? Obviously space travel is horrendously expensive in resources and labour, shipping the required industry to the moon would probably have to involve most of the richest industrial zones on Earth.

But back to the "why moon" thing, if they want to put solar panels in space that can beam down energy why not just launch satellites with huge panels and masers?

That's assuming that you actually wanted to, and it was economically viable put power stations in space.

At least get the raw materials from the moon. Lifting them from the Earth requires too much fuel.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

At least get the raw materials from the moon. Lifting them from the Earth requires too much fuel.

True but the cost of R&D for an industrial complex capable of mining, refining, manufacturing and maintaining a megascale solar power farm not only on the moon but also capable of being shipped piecemeal from Earth is a horrendous undertaking!

Might as well just build solar panels here on Earth.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

True but the cost of R&D for an industrial complex capable of mining, refining, manufacturing and maintaining a megascale solar power farm not only on the moon but also capable of being shipped piecemeal from Earth is a horrendous undertaking!

Might as well just build solar panels here on Earth.

Send as little as possible from the Earth because of the shipping and handling costs. There is plenty of raw material on the moon for a solar power farm.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Send as little as possible from the Earth because of the shipping and handling costs. There is plenty of raw material on the moon for a solar power farm.

Again though the R&D of a system capable of prospecting, mining, refining resources and then then manufacturing, deploying and maintaining is huge. Once it's done the applications of deploying it on Earth would far outweigh the applications of boosting it to the moon IMO, especially considering the cost to launch 1kg to the moon is measured in thousands-tens of thousands, I severely doubt that we could pack a factory capable of extending itself as well as building robots and solar panels for less than the entire worth of most first world countries.

And if we could send up some highly durable, highly capable, hi-tech factory for an affordable amount why would we not just send a few of them by car to deserts instead? That would be many orders of magnitude cheaper more than cancelling out any benefits of the moon.

 

[Proton Soup]

i think ryan has a point about the R&D. and I'm not even sure the need for a project like this is that great at the moment. but let technology advance another few decades and it may become a lot more feasible.

 

[Topher925]

Wouldn't it be cheaper just to put twice as many solar panels on earth?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

i think ryan has a point about the R&D. and I'm not even sure the need for a project like this is that great at the moment. but let technology advance another few decades and it may become a lot more feasible.

Wouldn't it be cheaper just to put twice as many solar panels on earth?

Even if we hypothesis some fantastic breakthroughs in robotics and fab lab technology in the future allowing us to ship a factory seed that can extend pretty much indefinitely why would we send it to the moon? Might as well send a convoy of trucks to places like the Sahara, Gobi, Atacama, Spain, the Antarctic and just cover them in solar panels. People are likely to object but I'd rather cover some of the most inhospitable places on Earth with 1000s of km of solar panels than ring the Moon, the latter's a huge eye sore