Power distribution and utility interface. Panels of collectors are ganged together into 1 MW units at a DC voltage of +2 kV. These are again arrayed into 125 larger units of 40 MW each, still at the same voltage. Each of these units has its own local DC-to-AC converter, providing output at whatever line voltage is desirable for integration with the transmission network. Assuming high voltage AC is to be the end product, the rectenna interface with the electric utility system would include one or more electrical transformer yards of conventional type, including circuit breakers and switching gear. If various chemical forms of output are desired, the necessary synthesis plants and transportation or pipeline interfaces would probably be located on, or very near, the rectenna site. Pilot beam and associated equipment. The phased array microwave power transmission system is designed to rely on a pilot beam from the rectenna to provide the necessary information for phase control. The pilot beam is transmitted by double sideband carrier at frequencies symmetrically displaced from the power beam frequency. To avoid intermodulation effects in the ionosphere between the power beam and the pilot beam, the frequency split between the sidebands must be at least 20 Mhz. The pilot beam (in the Reference Design) is transmitted from the geometric center of the rectenna. Measurements of microwave intensity at perhaps one or two dozen locations around the perimeter and scattered in the interior of the rectenna site provide information necessary to control transmitter array phases in such a way as to keep the power beam centered on the rectenna and its profile nearly constant despite ionospheric distortions. This information is encrypted in such a way that it is decipherable only to the power satellite corresponding to a particular rectenna. The system must also allow the transmission of a shutdown signal to the power satellite. 2.6 Command and Control (C^2 ) System The Reference System Report discusses the subject of integrated operations management for SPS very briefly, but the discussion there is not sufficiently detailed for our purposes. Figure 2-1 presents our concept of the command, control, 3 and communication (C ) system for SPS during the routine construction and operation 2 phase of the program. We will discuss C centers in this section, and communications (the third "C") in the next section.
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