argument with the proposition that the entire world community stands in urgent need of a non-depletable, non-threatening source of electrical energy. It is also self-evident that theoretical discussion, even by learned specialists, cannot be expected to result in accurate and reliable forecasts of the behaviour of new man-machine systems. As G. K. Chesterton reminded us, in The Ballad of the White Horse, ‘There is always a thing forgotten'. Therefore, prudent people will wish to see the SPS tested by a pilot experience. And as a non-expert I can only report to you that I have been told that a meaningful pilot plant might cost in the neighborhood of $10 billion. If we can accept this figure as (temporarily) acceptable for discussion purposes, then we may take comfort from the fact that comparable sums of money have been raised for new macro-systems within the private sector: the Alaska Pipeline will serve as an example. Other systems on our own planet have been far more costly: highway networks, railroads, long-distance water transport, hydroelectric facilities and a host of other infrastructure improvements have involved the investment, from the public and/or private sector, of the equivalent of many billions of dollars. The question before us, then, is not one of magnitude but of organization, of the allocation of risks and responsibilities. SPS is not a monument. It is a new means of producing a marketable commodity, electricity. To the extent that the market for a pilot project can be identified and placed under contract, the question of finance will be facilitated. If a pilot system can serve two or three cities in different countries, their willingness to sign purchase contracts will alleviate the uncertainties of the planners and investors. With customers ‘signed up', it might be possible to argue in favour of some form of guarantee of securities issued to the public. The World Bank (The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), for instance, has a statutory guaranty power which is seldom used. I am not a professional banker and I would not pretend that I am capable of proposing a proper financial plan. But experience tells me that a study group which seriously intends to launch a pilot project will wish to appoint very senior and competent financial advisors: the choice of banking experts is, in its way, just as important as the selection of the most competent engineers and scientists. We live in a world of ‘trivial pursuits', but there is nothing trivial in the wise identification of the resources without which engineers must remain dreamers. The idea of a ‘Global Infrastructure Fund', a sort of Marshall Plan to develop the infrastructure of countries which regard themselves as deficient in modern industrial equipment, has been put forward by Dr. Masaki Nakajima of the Mitsubishi Research Institute. The concept itself is nearly ten years old; its future cannot be predicted. But surely those who consider such matters in the corridors of power will wish to inform themselves of the potential of Solar Power Satellites for serving the needs of the entire planet. Nor is this a matter for industrialized nations alone. Sir Robert G. A. Jackson, Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, recently chaired a technical meeting on the recurrent droughts of sub-Saharan Africa. What emerged was the indispensable requirement of additional sources of electrical energy, if the international community is to render realistic assistance in the long-distance transfer of water supplies from areas of abundance to areas of deficit. The pumping of water requires the availability of electricity. It is as simple as that. The world community may choose, through inaction and inertia, to spend yet another decade in calculations and forecasts. We have learned, however, that novel macro-systems involve a ‘learning curve', that, at some point, it is necessary to move from blueprints to experience. Risks can be evaluated and reduced; but this is not, and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==