direct sun; they tolerate diffuse insolation conditions. The energy cost is still too high today, but the outlook is very encouraging. Up-to-date typical equipment characteristics are: Peak power = 5MW Land occupation = 0.1 km^ Photocell field size = 0.05 km^ Solar annual production = 10 GWh Annual equivalent peak power operating time = 1500 to 2000 hours Net peak efficiency = 12% Annual global efficiency = 10% (for Californian insolation characteristics, with 2200 kWh/m2/year of global horizontal irradiation). Future terrestrial technologies include new generations of solar power plants and eventually biochemical technologies to produce hydrogen directly from the sun. In that context, SPS technology could reinforce this trend toward solar energy usage and avoid the difficulties due to climate and nighttime, if environmental drawbacks can be minimized. The main environmental concerns associated with SPS are microwave exposure to workers in space and the public on Earth; potential radiation effects on space workers; electromagnetic compatibility with space-related sciences like optical and radio astronomy; and electromagnetic emission and chemical effluent effects on radio propagation in the upper atmosphere. ENERGY SUPPLIES 2020 SCENARIO NOE Mtoe COAL OIL GAS NUCL HYDR BIOMAS WASTE GEOTH SOLAR WIND TOTAL CONS/ INHAB North America 250 500 410 120 160 80 10 20 1550 4.7 Europe 173 370 250 160 120 65 2 10 1150 2.5 Japan, Australia, New Zealand 144 220 110 70 30 10 6 10 600 2.6 USSR Central Europe 433 300 600 60 140 55 2 10 1600 3.3 All of the Northern countries 1000 1390 1370 410 450 210 20 50 4900 3.3 Latin America 35 265 100 5 185 350 10 50 1000 1.4 N Africa Middle East 5 310 245 0 5 5 0 80 650 1.1 Africa 10 80 30 0 80 250 0 50 500 0.4 India 180 120 125 10 30 85 0 20 570 0.4 China 700 195 100 5 150 130 0 40 1320 1 Asia Oceania 170 240 230 20 100 330 10 60 1160 0.9 All of the Southern countries 1100 1210 830 40 550 1150 20 300 5200 0.8 World total 2100 2800 2200 450 1000 1380 40 350 10100 1.3
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