power positions. Consequently, if we expect the implementation of SPS’s to change the way the industrialized nations affect the environment we will have a long wait. On the other hand, population growth and the desire to achieve the same levels of development as exist in the industrialized nations point to the developing nations as a major source of new atmospheric pollutants unless they are offered an alternative to fossil fuels. China alone is planning to build over 200 coal fired power plants over the next 30 years. Benefits to Developing Countries Making choices in the search for environmentally sound energy sources can be difficult. Countries need energy to develop, to provide alternatives to the use of biomass for fuel, and to improve the quality of life for their people. The struggle to survive has led people to ask too much of their forests. In developing countries seven out of ten people depend on fuelwood to meet their heating and cooking needs. Villagers cut down trees if they do not have access to inexpensive alternative fuels. As supplies of fuelwood dwindle, people stop using dung and crop cuttings for fertilizer and begin using them for fuel. Once this happens the land very quickly loses its fertility. Crop yields drop, the land dries out and erosion sets in. Example: In Mozambique, the burning of fuelwood accounts for 80 percent of all household energy (World Bank, 1989). This demand has led to deforestation and air pollution. As a result, a project has been initiated by the World Bank to develop other sources of energy and connect more houses to the electric power system. This project also includes a program to market new home cooking devices. Unfortunately, energy from space under an energy as foreign aid program was not considered. Example: In Haiti the people are stripping the land for fuelwood with the result that the top soil is then washed into the sea. The fertile land and the forests are disappearing as a consequence of excessive use of biomass as fuel. But given the poverty and lack of other energy resources what choice do they have? While terrestrial photovoltaic systems could provide some of the power they need it cannot meet the total energy needs of a village without some sort of energy storage system (which, according to Starr and Searl (1990) increases the size of the system by a factor of 5). We can see that "perhaps the single greatest contribution that could be made to environmental conservation would be the invention of a satisfactory fuel-wood substitute" (Dregne, 1985). Energy from Space can provide an economical and socially acceptable substitute for fuel-wood. It would allow many nations to implement development programs without the same degree of impact on the environment that the industrialized nations have historically had. Example: Another example of how satellite power can be linked to both environmental issues and economic development is the Carajas iron ore project in Brazil (World Bank, 1989). Pig iron smelting requires large amounts of charcoal derived from the forest. The World Bank is now helping with an energy options study,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==