MIT MIT Space Solar Power Workshop

Terrestrial Energy Generation Based on Space Solar Power: A Feasible Concept or Fantasy?

Date: May 14-16, 2007
Location: MIT, Cambridge MA

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Main Schedule Information Participants Registration Accomodations Directions Resources

This workshop will examine the problem of generating power for Earth from large solar collector satellites in orbit, which would beam energy back to the earth by microwaves. Experts will be invited from around the world to participate in the evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of space solar power.

Motivation
The need to develop alternative clean renewable energy supplies is becoming critical.

  • Problems of climate change and global warming due to carbon emissions are becoming an accepted fact
  • The dramatic rise in the cost of petro-chemical energy is due to decreased supplies and increase in world demand
  • There is increasing political instability of regions of the world that have large oil supplies
  • There are geo-political and economic ramifications of being dependent on imported energy or on being economically dependent on the export of energy from dwindling energy reserves

In the past, space solar power has been considered as an alternative clean energy source. However, it has been found to be economically and technically not feasible. This conclusion needs to be reevaluated in a non-advocate environment considered in view of the rising concerns about conventional power sources. MIT is taking steps of finding solutions to this need.  This workshop is one step in this work.

Space Solar Power
Space solar power stations are envisioned as large solar power collectors in geosynchronous earth orbit. Solar energy would be gathered by photovoltaic cells and converted to microwaves so that it can be beamed wirelessly to receivers on earth. Space solar power is clean, inexhaustible, available 24 hours a day, and has the potential to generate as much energy as terrestrial power plants.

Challenges
There are numerous technical, political, legal and economic challenges to building space solar power stations. Limitations in photovoltaic technology and the difficulty of building large structures in space are some of the issues. In the past, launch costs have been prohibitive. However, recent advances in technology coupled with the risings costs of conventional energy sources suggest that it is time to reevaluate space solar power.

Workshop Organization
The workshop objective is a preliminary non-advocate evaluation of the potential of space solar power. Is it feasible or a fantasy?

The workshop will be a small gathering of leading experts. The participants will meet as a whole and then break into smaller groups, which will focus on the issues and challenges of a particular thrust area related to space solar power. The workshop output will be a brief report from the thrust areas and a road map for future activities.

Thrust Areas
Each thrust area will have a lead (usually an academic).  Attendees will be encouraged to interact via e-mail before the meeting and draft a set of thrust area challenges.

Area 1: Public Policy, Economics, Legal and Environment
Area 2: Space Systems Technology for SSP
Area 3: Solar Energy Technology - Terrestrial vs SSP
Area 4: Integration Strategies

There is no registration fee for invited participants.

Sponsors
The MIT Space Solar Power Workshop is sponsored by:

The MIT Technology and Development Program (TDP)

In cooperation with:

MIT Program Committee
Prof. Steven Dubowsky , Chair
Prof. Edward Crawley
Prof. Oliver de Weck
Prof. Ahmed Ghoniem
Dr. Geoffrey Landis
Prof. David H. Marks
Prof. David Miller
Prof. Fred Moavenzadeh
Peggy Boning

Administrative Associate
Kate Anderson

Webmasters
Steven Peters
Masahiro Ono

Contacts
To contact workshop organizers send e-mail to space_solar_power-mit (at) mit (dot) edu