even low power levels could be dangerous. Hence, the area of international standards for microwave dosage must be addressed. What are these standards? Are present regulations sufficient? These standards must be continually monitored so that, as more information on the effect of microwaves becomes available, the regulations can be modified accordingly. It is the duty of the SSP group to achieve public acceptance by educating the people to these issues. The main emphasis should be on informing the people how solar power can be a future energy source, by showing and proving its convenience and safety. This has to be done on a scientific basis and not only for commercial convenience. Others What are the effects of microwave power beaming on non-human organisms (plants and animals)? Can we protect them from harmful exposure? Protection of plants and animals on Earth should be a consideration during the design of the a SSP. When using SSP, it may be impossible (or impractical) to avoid radiating microwave energy to plants and animals entirely. If this is the case, the possibility of reversing the effects on plants and animals which have been damaged should be investigated. In the first experiments with space solar power, a ground-based demonstration program or a small satellite may be used to improve the technology and further prove the viability of power beaming. These experiments may be on a small scale, i.e., tens to hundreds of kilowatts. As part of these experiments, some initial experiments of the effect of microwaves on biological systems can also be conducted. Several microwave frequencies based on the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) organization requirements may be chosen for these tests. During the power transmission tests, subjects, such as plant life as well as fish, birds and other small creatures - with the approval of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [SPCA], could be placed in the beam. These tests would potentially be of short duration and therefore not provide any long-term exposure data. This data could allow at least preliminary estimates of the effects of microwaves on the local plant and animal life. Atmosphere What are the interactions between microwaves and the atmosphere? Continuous beaming of microwaves through the atmosphere may be a part of a small scale demonstration. For a small orbiting satellite, a beam may be on continuously to simplify the spacecraft design. Potential interactions of the microwave beam with the atmosphere should therefore be investigated. These small-scale experiments could address physical reactions (e.g. heating) of and chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Both LEO and GEO place special requirements on the tests. A LEO satellite will pass over many countries. With the satellite at GEO, the same area will be continuously exposed to microwave energy. Effects of the beam sweeping through the air versus having the beam “staring” at one point may be addressed. For future large scale programs it is necessary to address the same questions as mentioned in the above paragraph. However due to the increased power of the beam, additional effects on the atmosphere could be found which were not discovered in the small scale demonstration. Due to the increased size of the rectennas and the higher power beam the physical and chemical effects could be different. With satellites at GEO, special emphasis needs to be put on local atmospheric heating around the rectennas sites. The impact on global heating should also be considered. Rectenna What effects will the rectenna have on the local environment? It is particularly important to pay attention to the environmental effects of the rectenna placement because this will be the more evident, tangible manifestation, for the general public of the SSP demonstration program. The way the environmental concerns will be taken into account will largely determine public acceptance of Space Solar Energy. It is important to involve and to inform the public with the environmental studies. Neighborhoods will be deeply concerned about the impact of such a large project on their health and on their quality of life.
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