environment on the receiver. Considering the size of the rectenna, it is essential that the design is robust enough not to require frequent maintenance. Environmental degradation might be caused by storms, floods, snow, ice, natural disasters, etc. Except for flying creatures, such as birds and insects, laser will probably have little effect on the environment in the vicinity of the receiver site. On the other hand, the environment in the form of the weather could become a show stopper for using laser in many parts of the world, as cloudy weather would repeatedly interfere with the power transmission. A DOE study was made to identify suitable rectenna sites in the USA [DOE, 1980], As suitable for a rectenna site was defined a square with a side-length of 26 km, which did not have to be excluded due to any of the following parameters • Federal lands (national recreation areas, Indian reservations, military reservations) • Population (high density areas with more than 50 people per square mile) • Marsh vegetation • Wetlands • Topography unacceptable (hills, mountains, valleys) • Navigable waterways • Interstate highways • Endangered species' habitats • Land in cultivation • Seismic hazards • Latitudes higher than 40 degrees • Windstorms (2% probability of wind speeds higher than 50 knots) • Weather (thunderstorms, sheet rainfall, acid rainfall) The result is shown in Figure 7.38. In parallel a similar study was made by ESA [ESA, 1980]. As it would be almost impossible to find enough land for a rectenna site in western Europe, it was decided to investigate the possibility of building the rectenna offshore. The areas in the North Sea with a water depth less than 30 m that would be suitable for offshore rectenna sites are marked in Figure 7.39. Figure 7.39 Possible Offshore Rectenna Sites in the North Sea [ESA, 1980].
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==