1976 JSC Evaluation Of SPS Vol2

a. Estimated total usage rates for the material. b. Estimated total amounts of material available. c. Estimated cost changes with time. d. Estimated cost changes with production rates. e. Production facilities capacities for finished product. f. Construction of new facilities. g. Strategic impact (mostly from abroad). h. Energy requirements for fabrication (mine to pad). To achieve a materials breakdown for this study, detailed materials data from Raytheon, Boeing and in-house studies were used to compile typical material requirements. The data contained in reference IX-1 is used to establish critical materials or indicated manufacturing capacity requirements. Part 4, Section 1 of Appendix IX-(A) summarizes for the materials used in the construction of the SPS, the data required to establish critical materials. C. Natural Resources In Part 4, Section 1 of Appendix IX-(A) are shown the estimates of national and world-wide demand for various resources. In Part 4, Section 3 of Appendix IX-(A), the impact of the SPS on these national and worldwide resources and demands are estimated. In general, there are no resources which are critical, but there will be additional manufacturing capacity required for argon, arsenic, gallium, hydrogen, oxygen and silicon. In Part 4, Section 2 of Appendix IX-(A), an estimate of the energy payback for the major materials of the SPS has been made. Approximately .8 years are required to produce the electrical energy used to manufacture the raw SPS materials. The aluminum requirement for one 10 GW SPS has been estimated at 1.08 million metric tons. About 50 percent of this requirement is for the rectenna. In reference IX-1, the forecast for aluminum demand for cans in the U. S. has been estimated at between 1.4 and 5.0 million short tons per year. The base forecast is 2.3 million tons/year showing that the SPS demand is about the same as the beverage industry. The total average world demand was estimated at 83.2 million tons/year. The total world reserves are estimated at 1.2 billion tons. If the current demand growth rate of about 6 percent continues, the total demand will exceed known reserves of aluminum around 2010 to 2015. It would appear that an alternate material for rectenna construction should be expected to evolve since an overall shortage of aluminum should result from heavy world demands.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==