—to consider or reconsider seriously the need to apply nuclear power in the not- too-distant future; this year Indonesia expects to start with a feasibility and siting study for its future nuclear programme; —to develop and utilize other new and renewable sources of energy (NRSE) such as biomass, and solar energy; today, NRSEs are far from fulfilling the dreams of the 1970’s and appear to have only a marginal role to play between now and 2020. Power from space (SPS), which is the topic of this symposium, is a new energy source which presents a new possibility to solve the problem of scarcity of energy resources and the problem of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as well. Until now, the non-existence of nuclear energy in ASEAN countries as in many other developing countries is due to economic reasons, i.e. because nuclear energy remains more expensive compared to other energy technologies than in developed countries because of its high-technology content. Therefore, ASEAN countries need technology transfer to modernize their economies and compete in the world market. ASEAN cannot afford to emulate the developed countries and build up its technical capabilities over a century or more. To catch up all kinds of transfer would be required. But the essential ingredient in any transfer of technology is time. In the case of SPS. ASEAN would like to profit by the time elapsed to reach the next century, during which the new technologies associated with SPS e.g. microwave energy transmission, high efficiency multispectral photovoltaic structures, space applications, giant structures in space, high-temperature solar receivers etc...would be developed. Subsequently, ASEAN would be ready to apply this new energy technology through international cooperation involving the developed and the developing countries. Conclusions In this age of science and technology, industrial development in ASEAN countries is inevitable. In the near future the role of traditional sources of energy will have either declined or will be to limited to power industrial growth. The days of cheap and unlimited fossil fuel energy sources are also over. As the price of oil rises with galloping speed, most of the developing countries will be forced to search for alternative sources of reasonable, environmentally sound, and reliable energy. Several alternatives need to be explored, such as bioenergy, terrestrial solar energy, and animal energy. However, none of these sources can provide the gigantic energy needs of such a vast population racing for modernization. Hence, an exploration of the new technologies, including SPS, is a must.
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