China's Solar Array in Space Project

[Snagglefoot]

Remember the term “ duck curve” with regard to solar power generation? There’s another term out there called “Duck Curve Days”. It’s when the net generation “ Total demand - solar “ during the day is actually lower than the lowest demand seen during the night. New England is hitting 100 days per year.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Yeah, well, I heard China is going to build a Dyson sphere.

At first I thought that was a vacuum cleaner.

 

[4wd]

Yeah, well, I heard China is going to build a Dyson sphere.

Hope it doesn’t have crappy plastic gears like my Dyson did

 

[Snagglefoot]

Yes, about an hour from me in two directions - many were ripped by a twister - and many broken by hail at another site …
I’m seeing the panels set on stronger angles now - perhaps the difference in damage -vs- glancing off - slight loss in efficiency?

With the higher efficiencies in panels I’m seeing that installers don’t have to be as dogmatic about squeezing each last bit of efficiency out. A local town has a 1 MW array that was using computerized trackers on the panels but the maintenance cost exceeded the cost benefits. I also noticed installers will also add panels to east and west facing rooflines in addition to south facing panels.

 

[4wd]

With the higher efficiencies in panels I’m seeing that installers don’t have to be as dogmatic about squeezing each last bit of efficiency out. A local town has a 1 MW array that was using computerized trackers on the panels but the maintenance cost exceeded the cost benefits. I also noticed installers will also add panels to east and west facing rooflines in addition to south facing panels.

These I speak of are clearly put in by traveling crews and equipment - the posts are driven perfectly straight and spaced exactly the same over and over …
You never see them come and go unless near a major road - and they are low enough to the ground where you can’t see a million panels until you are driving through them …

 

[The_Jeff]

If you can aim a microwave you can just make a giant fresnel lens and beam that light down to a solar field you own. Skips a few steps.

 

[y_p_w]

Well, if we break this down, we can get this very rough approximation. Sources here and here.

The world produces 869.8 TWh of electricity from oil. We'll round up to 870 TWh. Based on the current level of efficiency and using 350 watt solar panels, we would need roughly 2,850 solar panels to produce 1 megawatts. We need 870,000,000 megawatts to reach 870 terawatts, which means we would need approximately 2,479,500,000,000 individual solar panels to match the energy generation produced by oil. An average commercial solar panel is approximately 6.5' X 3', so 19.5 sqft. That is about 127,153,846,153.9 sqft of solar panels, or 2.92 million acres of solar panels. In comparison, according to the Department of Agriculture, the United States is roughly 2.26 million square acres, meaning the solar panel array would be 22% larger than the land mass of the United States.

Just asking the obvious here, but even if it wasn't just one array (which is seemingly impossible) one would have to question how you 1) build 2.92 million acres worth of solar panels in orbit, 2) how you repair such a massive array, 3) how you cool everything, and 4) how you justify the cost of this project from an environmental and economic perspective when other alternatives, such as nuclear power, provide an actually plausible path forward while being far more reliable.

All told, I'll have beachfront property in Nebraska before this comes even close to a drawing board.

Oil? Oil (at least petroleum) is a tiny part of electricity production in the world. And the numbers are weird in addition to using TWh and TW together. I’m reading annual world electricity in 2024 was about 30,000 TWh.

 

[WeyounDS9]

Vaporware

 

[GMFan]

The modern day nuclear arms race on the globe today is electricity generation and minerals for semi conductors. The US is going to lose the race unless we start ramping up power plants and expanding the grid. Today our grids are at their breaking point. Read about the problems the Mid-Atlantic PJM grid is facing. Then read about how many power plants China is building. China is building 28 nuclear power plants. US is building 2.

There is a 2-3 year manufacturer backlog on high voltage transformers and circuit breakers needed for the power grid. Guess where they are made? Not here. China. We are already way behind. When China becomes the new super power we will become a third world nation. I think we already see our country in decline. I say this not to bash our country but to wake everyone up from their slumber.

As a nation we are shortsighted and our leaders only care about a 4 year timeline. US manufacturers are abandoning R&D on electric cars. China is ready to sell cheap electric cars in the US and around the world.

 

[JeffKeryk]

We have both solar and wind farms - and the most noticeable difference is land use/footprint. With wind - the farmers and ranchers can continue their craft with some bonus income …
With solar - that land is dedicated to panels …

Actually, there are uses for the land under solar panels. Here's one, Agrivoltaics.
Of course mine are on the roof. Wish I had bought more!

 

[JeffKeryk]

The modern day nuclear arms race on the globe today is electricity generation and minerals for semi conductors. The US is going to lose the race unless we start ramping up power plants and expanding the grid. Today our grids are at their breaking point. Read about the problems the Mid-Atlantic PJM grid is facing. Then read about how many power plants China is building. China is building 28 nuclear power plants. US is building 2.

There is a 2-3 year manufacturer backlog on high voltage transformers and circuit breakers needed for the power grid. Guess where they are made? Not here. China. We are already way behind. When China becomes the new super power we will become a third world nation. I think we already see our country in decline. I say this not to bash our country but to wake everyone up from their slumber.

As a nation we are shortsighted and our leaders only care about a 4 year timeline. US manufacturers are abandoning R&D on electric cars. China is ready to sell cheap electric cars in the US and around the world.

My concern is the short term thinking that seems to be America's path. I hope I'm wrong, but Science, technology and exploration are important. China's space solar iniatives will likely discover and lead to many new technologies.

This is the purpose of my thread. Go big or go home.

 

[Owen Lucas]

What device can transmit so much power in a columnated beam to a base station? I presume you'd need a massive power station with transformers and yet to be invented tech to accomplish transmission at this scale. They should stick to iPhones and replacement sponges for my Mr. Clean mop.

 

[mk378]

This is a very old idea, and no one has ever explained how the microwave energy transmission part is going to be practical. To stay over the same spot on the surface, the satellite needs to be in a GEO orbit which is 22,000 miles away. It's not possible to focus a microwave transmitter on a small area from that distance. Quite a bit of surface area is going to need to be set aside for microwave reception, and that space will have a sufficient energy density that it must be off limits to all humans and animals.

 

[alarmguy]

Novel idea, but will never happen. The security of an entire country would be at risk with space based generation if it was a substantial amount of their generation.
It would be easy to knock out any panels in space just like it easy to knock out any satellites

 

[OVERKILL]

This is a very old idea, and no one has ever explained how the microwave energy transmission part is going to be practical. To stay over the same spot on the surface, the satellite needs to be in a GEO orbit which is 22,000 miles away. It's not possible to focus a microwave transmitter on a small area from that distance. Quite a bit of surface area is going to need to be set aside for microwave reception, and that space will have a sufficient energy density that it must be off limits to all humans and animals.

Yep, this is basically a giant solar death ray where the required space real estate would be wholly impractical. It would get readily taken out by space debris due to its size and repairability would obviously be problematic. And then of course there's the "death ray" aspect you've touched-on.

 

[fdcg27]

Yep, this is basically a giant solar death ray where the required space real estate would be wholly impractical. It would get readily taken out by space debris due to its size and repairability would obviously be problematic. And then of course there's the "death ray" aspect you've touched-on.

Space debris would be a major impediment to making this scheme work.
The volume of debris grows worse by the year.

 

[Pablo]

China is working on a solar array in space that will generate more energy in a year than all the earth's oil
Unlike my earth tied solar panels, generation will not be affected by night, clouds, etc. Power will be delivered to earth via microwaves.

A truly incredible, ambitious project; some are calling it an energy Manhatten Project.
This stuff scares me because I wonder if America has the taste to compete? Are we too short-term orientated?

You don't actually believe this, right?

 

[KrisZ]

More Chinese made AI slop.

 

[KrisZ]

This is true China, they thrive on propaganda and AI is their wet dream come true. Not sure why many are so fascinated by them. They hate your guts and our way of living.

 

[Pablo]

This is true China, they thrive on propaganda and AI is their wet dream come true. Not sure why many are so fascinated by them. They hate your guts and our way of living.

They are a very sick culture