numerous nuclear powerplants are sited in large power parks. These impacts could include the formation of heat islands, initiation of convective clouds, increased humidity and precipitation, fog formation, and vorticity concentration. Again, it would seem logical to assume that these potential impacts would not constrain the global level of implementation of nuclear power but rather would constrain dense siting of facilities that would result in extraordinarily large local densities of energy released to the atmosphere. 3.2.2 Other Impacts No significant amounts of any air pollutant will be released by either a LWR or a LMFBR during normal operations. Small amounts of chromates, zinc, chlorides,and possibly some particulates will be emitted. The effect of these emissions on the radiative balance of the earth-atmosphere system should be minimal. Emissions of water vapor from evaporative cooling systems may contribute to the greenhouse effect. 3.3 SATELLITE POWER SYSTEM The impacts on climate of a satellite power system (SPS) can be divided into three major areas. First, effluents from the rocket launches during construction of the satellite may have atmospheric impacts. Second, microwave transmission may have impacts on the troposphere. Finally, the operation of a rectifying antenna (rectenna) at the earth's surface may have waste heat impacts. 3.3.1 Rectenna Waste Heat Effects A microwave beam with a maximum power density of 23 mW/cm^ will result in an average waste heat release at the rectifying antenna of approximately 75 kW/km^. A 1arge rectenna may cover a surface area of as much as 100 km. The release of this much waste heat may result in noticeable impacts on the weather and climate. The mechanisms for rectenna waste heat effects are twofold. First, the rectenna structure itself will modify the thermal and radiative properties of the ground on which it is built. Additionally, the operation of the SPS will result in a heat source at the surface due to waste heat rejection, which, from a large rectenna, is expected to be roughly equivalent to the heat
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