Should the demonstration program concentrate initially on early commercial uses before demonstrating large-scale space to Eanh power technologies? Depending on the goals and money available for the demonstration program, its definition could greatly change. It could be used to develop technologies for the large scale space program or as an intermediate step for the early commercial use programs. Should the development of new technologies be a goal, or should we concentrate on the demonstration of existing space solar power technologies ? The definition of the goals of the demonstrator is also required to specify where the emphasis of the program will be. Demonstration of the technology, the benefit to human life, or the financial aspects of future projects shall be performed. Early Commercial Use Issues For an initial investigation on the early commercial possibilities of a SSPP, three fundamental questions must be addressed. First, what are the market opportunities of a SSPP ? Second, what is the commercial viability of such a market ? Finally, how can the required demonstration projects be used for early commercial use? The Investigation of market opportunities The investigation of market opportunities includes, but is not limited to the character of the market and the market size. Analysis of market opportunities is an essential precursor to the determination of an application's economic viability. What is the character of the market? Initially, the character of the market should be assessed. This can be examined from at least three different perspectives: potential applications, potential customers, and the competition faced during early market development. Potential applications include Space-to-Space, (e.g. remote power supply to electric propulsion systems or to satellites) and Space-to-Earth. This portion of the question would address, for example, the identification of locations in, developing nations that have no other viable power access, as well as developed nations needing to develop alternative energy sources. A third application would even be Earth-to-Space. We feel it would be prudent to investigate the possibilities of using current power systems in supplying energy to space via power beaming. The second portion of the market analysis would be the identification of potential customers .Customers such as governments or private enterprise will dictate the reliability and consistency of the market demands. Cyclical or unreliable energy demands will strongly impact commercial market opportunities. The third question to be asked is the type and the extent of competition an SSPP would face. If new commercial markets are identified, other organizations (commercial or governmental) may choose to enter the market and compete, thus potentially reducing the market share of an SSPP. What is the size of the market? Ihe market size will determine the initial scope of an SSPP. This can be examined in three parts. First, will the provision of new energy supplies stimulate growth in the effected areas? If it does, then how will the growth of these areas impact the availability of what the new systems can be supply. Finally, at what time scale will this growth occur? The commercial viability of these markets A cost breakdown for each one of the proposed applications should be calculated. Given these data, one should study the likely return on investment for each application, and determine if a staged implementation would offer any advantages. Commercial viability might be reached if some capital costs are written off by government institutions. What parts of the project(s) could be sponsored by governments? For what amount and under what uncertainties?
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