Space Solar Power Review Vol 12 Num 3&4

kilowatt of capacity will almost always exceed the costs of the traditional power plants. Therefore, if the power plants using renewable energy sources are useful only for fuel saving, it is hopeless to think that they will turn out economically efficient with the use of storage systems. 2. In the nearest decades when large-scale utilization of fossil fuel will go on and the fraction of renewable sources (including space systems) will still be small, their use for fuel saving (with duplication) may be considered normal (justified and technologically feasible). The expected price rise of the energy produced from fossil fuel due to accounting of social cost (damages caused to the nature and people's health) are conducive to this condition, because the economic efficiency of the renewable energy sources will thereby increase. 3. In the remote future with the considerable growth of the renewables fraction (above 30-50%) and the decrease of fossil fuel consumption, complete reliance of the power plants on renewable sources can prove to be impossible and energy storage systems will be needed. However, large-scale production of synthetic environmentally clean fuel (methanol, higher alcohols, hydrogen) will surely be required by this time. In principle it is even possible to go to the use of two energy carriers only - electric power and hydrogen which are produced from the nuclear or renewable energy sources. Production of synthetic fuel will level off the energy supply from renewable sources (including space energy systems). This production can be organized as a consumer - regulator (operating only at the time of energy production by renewables), on the one hand, and the synthetic fuel produced can be stored and used during "downtimes" of renewable energy sources, on the other hand. By that time the economic problems caused by the rise of fuel and energy prices will apparently be solved. Consider now peculiarities of the world energy system in combination with the Lunar power system. Figure 2 presents a complete scheme of LPS that is suggested by its authors. Several pairs of bases with solar collectors and microwave antennas are created on the Moon. They are located as close to the Moon's perimeter as possible in order that at least one of them is lighted for the longest time. However, as far as the visible side of the Moon regularly finds itself completely in the shadow, a series of satellites with the reflectors of solar beams which light up the collectors during shading are launched around the Moon. The receiving rectennas are constructed on the Earth and the satellite repeaters of microwave radiation are launched. The rectennas receive energy either directly from the Moon or through the satellite repeaters. On the authors' opinion such scheme of LPS will provide un-interruptible energy supply of the Earth. However, this statement is should be tested with the detailed analysis of orbits of satellites and operating modes of LPS and WES. The scheme in Figure 2 becomes extremely complicated, if it is imagined in motion: revolution of the Earth round the Sun, the Moon round the Earth, the Earth round its axis, the satellite repeaters and the reflectors around the Earth and Moon,

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