Comments on: Japan’s Shimizu Proposes a Loony Solar Idea

By: anonymous

anonymous — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:11:45 +0000

This idea is totally a disaster that could harm the entire planet. Human made technology always come with human errors, let the nature run by itself!

By: louisville chiropractic

louisville chiropractic — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:48:00 +0000

Why Japan’s always comes first in Technology.

By: Bruce Miller

Bruce Miller — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:02:00 +0000

Totally over-looks the new LFTR reactors from China! Thorium fueled, a much cheaper fuel, rectors cheaper to build by a factor of 10, benign waste products safe after only 300 years of storage, no plutonium production at all, and very efficient heat producers. Soon, China will build only these, far superior designs, and power electric bullet-train networks with nuclear-electric infrastructures. These networks will be daisy-chained across Eurasia, and form the backbone of A huge new Asian Empire. This will become more evident this decade, become a reality in two decades, and will leave the U.S.A. behind as a very backwards country, an oil and rubber wheeled country, a country supporting foreign “Parasite” OPEC and Saudi countries at its own economic peril. Even today, America refuses the 40 % more efficient Euro-Diesel engines for their rubber wheeled economy, fly by jet plane at will, and cannot pay their bills, Their government stalls and requires huge loans from China just to pay its bills as we speak.

By: Anand Sivaram

Anand Sivaram — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:57:00 +0000

I have written an article analysing these. Especially the launch cost, power during the night on Moon etc.
http://saurorja.org/2011/07/14/problems-of-lunar-solar-power/

By: Anumakonda Jagadeesh

Anumakonda Jagadeesh — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:25:00 +0000

Of course it is an Utopian Idea. Does we need such plans when we have not even started on a small scale on land.

Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore (AP),India
Wind Energy Expert
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:03:00 +0000

By 2035 we could already have (just about) 100% of all the power we need for electricity, heat and transportation generated by renewables using the technology we have on hand right now.

Our power would be cheaper than it is now. Especially the transportation part.

It’s simply a matter of political will.

Space based power is interesting but it should not delay our getting on with the job of getting off fossil fuel. If we need to beam power to places like Japan we could generate it in sunny places like North Africa or windy places like Wyoming, beam it up to a satellite and back down to where it’s needed.

Probably makes more sense to tap Japan’s offshore wind and geothermal potential and ship in some power from an Asia HVDC grid.

By: Russell Geisthardt

Russell Geisthardt — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:40:00 +0000

This brings SimCity2000 to mind. What happens when the microwave beam misses? There’s not a “No Disasters” mode in real life…

By: Electric38

Electric38 — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:06:00 +0000

The development of solar ink in a few countries is already showing promise. Why does Shimizu try to make things so technical? Printing presses that allow for “plug & play” rooftop solar, make it very affordable and may keep it out of the hands of greedy monopolistic/corporate type banksters seems to solve several problems at once. Having residents and small businesses own their own power system will promote job growth, economic growth and electric car charging capability etc..

By: douglas prince

douglas prince — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:33:00 +0000

I can’t believe any of you yahoos are taking this proposal seriously. Honestly, would you think twice if this idea came from some 15-year-old punk in Nebraska?
I didn’t think so…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:18:00 +0000

Expect Japan doesn’t really have much accessible land.

By: T. Lester

T. Lester — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:59:00 +0000

Obviously the author hasn’t seen the videos of a new jet pack.
Seems more like a reflex (to scoff at something that someone can’t wrap their head around) than entirely unworkeable.

By: FellOnEarth

FellOnEarth — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:44:00 +0000

Wouldn’t it just make more sense to eliminate the moon as the energy platform and just use the much more accessible and available land on Earth and just implement a global energy transmission network? It’s certainly more realistic.

Personally, I don’t like the idea of beaming microwaves toward the Earth at this scale, we receive more than enough solar radiation already, why increase the exposure?