Senator Ford. I think one of the problems we have here is that the unknown worries us, something we have very little knowledge about— and we become very reluctant to take that additional step. And I want to get all these things as part of the record so we can take that perspective. Yes, Doctor? Dr. Heiss. I think for a national assessment, in this context—the question of risk—I think there is considerable risk to pursue this idea. But I think it should be compared—or it may be equivalent to developing fusion energy. I think that in that area there are very great not just economic risks, but also technical risks. Is it ever feasible? Are these things stable? And so on. And we don't know that. I think that the SSPS concept on the engineering side is further advanced than the state of fusion energy. I think there it is very much an economic risk that we are talking about on the SSPS. But I think in both cases you talk about the ultimate desire to have an assured long-term, hopefully inexhaustible, energy supply. And what we find here in these studies quite firmly, within these rough orders of magnitude, is that at 30 mills a kilowatt hour, maybe 40 mills a kilowatt hour, we can have the assurance somehow in the next century to have an unlimited energy supply from space. Now, it is a long-term shot. And private business cannot take these long-term shots. I think the Federal Government has to assume some of these risks, and that is the function of ERDA and NASA. And in that context I think it is a reasonable bet on research and development to pursue ideas—to pursue also this concept—in the context of balancing your expenditures on long-term energy question pursuits. And this is a vague answer. But I think in that context the SSPS does warrant funding to pursue the idea. Senator Ford. Of course, the total development, you are saying, should not be borne by the solar power satellite program. Dr. Heiss. Nor should we make today that commitment. It is way too early. Senator Ford. If I understand the prepared statement correctly, Dr. Greenblat, the projected cost of the energy in the early 21st century will make or break the solar power satellite concept. Dr. Greenblat. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Senator Ford. Is it possible that this concept might be attractive for some areas, or even some nations, and unattractive to others having cheaper energy sources? Dr. Greenblat. Exactly. Although we have not studied it to date, the SSPS, in my mind, has the unique capability of combining both transmission and generation—and you may well be able to locate energy intensive industry near these receiving ground stations—and thereby provide additional economic benefits that you cannot do with competing terrestrial generation plus transmission systems. Also I would like to say, in my mind there will be no one energy price. When one thinks of the competition, as we have to in some of these cost-effectiveness studies, we tend to think of, well, some one prevailing price. But in energy, as there is today—in some places you have very High-cost power, because of the cost of the type of generation plants that you have; in some places you have very low-cost power.
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