pairs to be constructed. Construction will connence in 1996 with the first system operating by the year 2000. From the year 2000 to the year 2030, two satellite/rectenna pairs will become operational each year, totalling 60 pairs. The total land area estimated to be required for the 60 rectennas (with a 2 km buffer zone) is approximately 13,300 km^ (over 5100 square miles), slightly less than 0.2% of the total land area of the continental United States. Therefore, the following factors are important from the perspective of seeking 60 sites. First, some 55,000 acres will be required for each rectenna. Of this, approximately 50% will be cleared, with the remaining 50% being left uncleared but with restricted access due to microwave levels. Second, microwaves levels will be measureable beyond the rectenna with the buffer zone, and such levels may interfere with radio and other types of communications and navigation equipment. The extent of this radio frequency interference is not known, but the rectenna and the microwave beam per se are considered as a problem from a radio communications standpoint in this siting study. Third, the possibility of multiple use beneath the receiving antenna has been raised, but this siting study assumes that the land area directly beneath the receiving antenna will be lost from functional, if not physical, standpoint. In this study, no attempt was made to quantify additional land areas required for access roads, construction buildings and transmission lines. In the sections which follow, the siting methodology is discussed first. Then, a detailed description and analysis of the data used will be presented. Section IV presents the results of certain analytical efforts and Section V lists our conclusions and suggestions for future work.
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