propulsion the energetic break-even point can be reached within 2-3 years after the SPS assembly in LEO. Assuming a lifetime in the order of 1 to 3 decades such a SPS could considerably contribute to meet terrestrial energy needs. This holds not true for a SPS in a low Earth orbit, where the energetic amortization time is in the order of 10 years and more. This high value is caused by eclipses and complicated space to Earth power transmission, requiring large in-orbit energy storage and results in a pulsed power availability on Earth. Using laser beam transmission the low transmission efficiency would result in energetic amortization times in the order of a decade, which is in the same order as the lifetime of the SPS. Thus the laser beam transmission is not a good option from an energetics point of view. Terrestrial solar power systems suffer from atmospheric and day/night influences, which results in energetic amortization times between 4 and 6 years, which is close to the average life time of about 8 years, which is limited on Earth mainly due to climatic/weather effects. Consequently, from a pure energetic point of view a geostationary SPS could help solving the world's energy problem.
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