SATELLITE POWER SYSTEM OPERATIONS by Francis L. Pugh IBM Federal Systems Division Westlake Village, CA and A.I. Gordon Space Operations & Satellite Systems Division, Rockwell International Seal Beach, CA A projection of the electrical energy demands over the next 30 to 50 years, coupled with reasonable assessments of known or developable energy sources, indicates that a shortage of electrical energy will occur about the turn of the century. Recognizing the criticality of such a shortage, the Department of Energy (DOE) is currently evaluating alternative power generation concepts. One of these candidate concepts is the Satellite Power System (Figure 1). The power levels considered during the evaluation of the various satellite systems have ranged from 5 to 10 GW. It is apparent that, with this power level, both the satellite and the rectenna must be very large and encompass a large number of complex operational system activities. Major elements of the Satellite Power System (SPS) consist of a power satellite placed in a geosynchronous equatorial orbit, and a dedicated ground receiving station (GRS) located at a selected site within the continental United States. The nominal power output of the SPS is established at 5 gigawatts (5 million kilowatts) although, because of various system constraints or losses, it may actually produce between 4 and 5 gigawatts. The GRS and utility interfaces are designed to emulate existing power generation sources, such as present hydroelectric, thermal, or nuclear plants. The fact that the electrical power is first converted from solar sources in space is irrelevant in this approach. The rectenna receiving panels, which cover 30 to 40 square miles, are treated as if they are merely another type of power source. The SPS has at least three distinct time phases of operations. These are (1) test and evaluation (T&E), (2) initial operational capability (IOC) including startup, and (3) final operational capability (FOC). As the SPS capability passes through these phases, there will be an evolutionary change from semi-automated control and validation to a more automated system.
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