we can define the ideal first site for demonstrating energy from space. A site which will hopefully have growth potential. Table 5 -Break-even Distances for Grid Extension versus Stand Alone Generation. The Ideal First Site The ideal first site will have a need for 10 to 100 kilowatts of power. The power is sized for the use of terrestrial solar cells launched on a Russian Proton. The site will be remote but with good access by roads and small airplanes. There will plenty of land around for both expansion and for agricultural, experiments on the long term effects of microwave energy. An additional feature would be the potential for large scale growth such as might be provided by a mine, smelter or processing plant. On the other hand looking at Table 5 we could have a site located about 100 kilometers from a large city and plan to eventually hook the space power system into the national grid. It seems that if technical, political and funding problems can be overcome it will be possible to initiate market development of satellite power systems in a developing country, perhaps even more than one. A condition that should be imposed on the demonstration is that it cannot be like the ATS educational television demonstration in India where after you prove your point you take the technology away. If we give a village or regional health a power system based on satellite power technology, we are obligated to leave that system in place operating for at least the lifetime of the satellite. Conclusions The SUNS AT Energy Council has presented a systems solution to the question of where will the energy for development and industrialization of developing and third world countries will come from. Space based solar energy systems can provide reliable baseload power for economic development. In the long run, 20 to 30 years, these systems can be evolved to provide solar fuels or liquid fuels for transportation. Included in the systems description are economic mechanisms or constructs to promote both rural development or improvement as well as national economic development. Energy farms or centers for sustainable development which are foci for multi-national networked enterprises can provide the focus and financial infrastructure needed to stimulate local development and free enterprise. The intrinsic advantage of imported energy will be fully realized if the rational step of accounting for the environmental costs of acquiring and using energy is taken into account. The World Energy Council notes:
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