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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Space Solar Power
Message-ID: <3288@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Oct-83 19:13:40 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.3288
Posted: Mon Oct 31 19:13:40 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 31-Oct-83 19:13:40 EST
References: <3408@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 13

Setting up solar panels in the desert is *much worse* than solar power
satellites as far as heat pollution goes.  Why?  Because solar cells
are quite inefficient (15% is very good performance!) and the solar
radiation they absorb would otherwise be reflected and re-radiated right
back out into space!  Solar power satellites put the inefficient part
of the process out in space, where it doesn't contribute to Earth's
heat input.  The net result is that power-satellite power adds rather
less heat to Earth than ground-based solar power.  In fact, power
satellites add less heat to Earth per kilowatt of useful power than
almost any other power-generation system.  Strange but true.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry