Comments on: PG&E Seeking Solar In Space! Seriously

By: Cali’s Utilities Won’t Be Able to Meet 2010 State RPS

Cali’s Utilities Won’t Be Able to Meet 2010 State RPS — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:52:25 +0000

[...] announce a new clean power contract — solar PV, solar thermal, geothermal, wind power, even space solar. But according to a report from researchers at Black & Veatch, California utilities won’t [...]

By: Outta This World: Japan Firms Seek 1GW Solar Station in Space

Outta This World: Japan Firms Seek 1GW Solar Station in Space — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:59:25 +0000

[...] it a moon shot? Probably, at least for the time being. But as California utility PG&E explained when it began seeking approval from state regulators for a 200 MW power purchase agreement with Solaren earlier this year, if a [...]

By: eSolar to Build Second Cali Solar Plant

eSolar to Build Second Cali Solar Plant — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:28:45 +0000

[...] course, utilities are signing many deals for newer, riskier technology (solar in space!), increasing the likelihood that some of those projects will fall through. [...]

By: PowerSat: Space Solar Flies Closer to Earth

PowerSat: Space Solar Flies Closer to Earth — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:05:19 +0000

[...] news comes after Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Solaren, another space solar company, in April signed a deal to provide power to northern California utility PG&E. And Swiss startup Space Energy recently [...]

By: solar training

solar training — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:51:54 +0000

Sounds like a good idea. As long as they don’t harness the energy into a weapon like in James Bonds Moonraker. I wouldn’t put it past them haha.

By: Solar Springs Forth : The Solar Report

Solar Springs Forth : The Solar Report — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:02:14 +0000

[...] the oceans of Earth to the depths of space where West Coast utility giant PG&E signed a landmark 200 MW power purchase agreement with Solaren, a company building solar panels in space. [...]

By: Online Storage Optimization » Blog Archive » Solar Power … In Space?

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:56:29 +0000

[...] here’s a news story that made me sit up and take notice. According to GigaOm greentech blog Earth2Tech, California’s megautility PG&E is in the midst of a project to develop solar power in [...]

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:15:27 +0000

the phrase "pie in the sky" comes to mind...

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:58:42 +0000

Paul, What about the classic NASA and DOE studies which referenced a 5GW satellite (equivalent to 10 nuke plants) with no technical show stoppers?

What about the 2007 DOD study which confirms the above, and the 2008 Naval Research Lab study which backs the DOD conclusion?

See the Goldstone wireless power demo on Youtube. Much stonger results than Discovery would pay for or the FAA would allow between Hawaiian islands.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:30:15 +0000

PG&E must get credited on signing the contract as opposed to any power actually being supplied as that is the only way they will ever benefit from this deal.

Remember, PG@E have signed supply deals with loads of BS solar projects before they even have locations or finance secured so signing supply deals is no indication of likely success. If you knocked on PG&Es door saying you had a couple of cows on a tread mill they'd probably sign you up.

The space power plan is just lunacy. This company quotes a discovery doco as a technology demonstrator for RF power transmission, with only one problem, the test failed to deliver any more than QUOTE "less than 1/1000th of 1%" of the power transmitted was supposedly picked up at the receiver, i.e. Nothing. That has to be some kind of world record for inefficiency!!!

The US Navy have a multi billion dollar space power project on the table who's entire goal is to light a single LED with power supplied from a satellite. Based on the Discovery doco results, it will fail to supply even that much power.

How these projects EVER get past the back of a napkin stage is beyond me.