April 17, 2009 -- The California Public Utilities Commission is considering a plan that would provide 200 megawatts of electricity -- enough for about 150,000 homes -- from solar power collected in space. The company providing the power, Solaren Corp., of Manhattan Beach, Calif., has backing from Pacific Gas and Electric, the state's biggest energy utility, which last week filed a request with regulators to purchase power from Solaren's space-based network for a period of 15 years, beginning in 2016. The value of the contract was not disclosed, but Solaren's director for energy services Cal Boerman, told Discovery News the price would be "slightly more," than the state's projected 2016 energy costs of 12.9 cents per kilowatt. "PG&E said that our prices are in line with other renewables (renewable energy products) that they're purchasing," Boerman said, adding that "as we expand, we will become even more competitive." Related Content:
Solaren declined to discuss details of its project, but patents held by the firm describe technologies to keep an array of free-flying spacecraft aligned and in position. The components include a pair of foldable, inflatable mirrors -- each about one to two kilometers in diameter -- to collect sunlight and beam power down to Earth; a power module to generate electrical energy; and an emitter to convert electrical power into radio or optical waves that can be transmitted to Earth. The various pieces of the network would automatically keep tabs on each other with radar and laser systems. To keep the components aligned, the firm is looking at using ion thrusters, the pressure of particles in the solar wind and/or electro-static forces, according to a patent for a space-based power system awarded in August 2005 and assigned to Solaren Corp. Four heavy-lift rockets would be needed to haul the gear into orbit, Boerman said. Boerman said the firm is seeking startup financing "in the billions of dollars." The contract with PG&E should help. "Investors like that you have a contract to see all the electricity that you can deliver will be sold," Boerman said. "It's another plus." The idea of collecting solar power in space and beaming it to Earth has been around for decades, but costs and technological hurdles have been too steep to overcome. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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