250 mile-wide solar panel belt around Moon

[Still Waters]

A Japanese construction firm is proposing to solve the well-documented energy problems facing Japan - and ultimately the entire planet - by turning the moon into a colossal solar power plant.

Tokyo-based Shimizu Corp. wants to lay a belt of solar panels 250 miles wide around the equator of our closest neighbour and then relay the constant supply of energy to "receiving stations" on Earth by way of lasers or microwave transmission.

http://www.telegraph...round-Moon.html

[spacecowboy342]

It's about time

[Gary Meadows]

Don't mess with the Moon, man.

[Four Winds]

Kind of a silly plan.

[spacecowboy342]

Kind of a silly plan.

Silly in what way?

[seeder]

My concern is - that with plans like this, the world will start bickering about who does what on the moon.... if only humans could take such power and make it free for all of us...

Pipe dream I know sigh

[Dark_Grey]

This.....is awesome!

[toast]

The idea itself isn´t unsexy. But since the Fukushima desaster I have very little confidence in japaneese engineer skills, especially in connection to machines that procude more than 200KW. As per SHIMIZU homepage, the energy tranfer to earth will be processed by laser + microwaves. So in case of failure the chance is given, that these waves will burn some nice hot stripes across the planets surface. ("Solly fol that, we will pay, we will pay!")

[Calle]

cool idea, but the prices to get all that up there is allot.

[pallidin]

Yeah, I know it's just a proposal, and most proposal's go no-where off the "drawing board"

But to comment on it anyway...

I think the cost alone would be "astronomical", given the scale of their proposal.

And, as already pointed-out here by toast, the danger's of having such a high-powered energy transfer torwards Earth likely would not sit well with many people.

Also, for such a massive moon-project, I assume the U.N. would have to approve it, which I find highly unlikely.

Edited November 28, 2013 by pallidin

[spacecowboy342]

Are there any international treaties regarding exploitation of the moon or is it first come first serve?

Edited November 28, 2013 by spacecowboy342

[ExoPaul]

Are though there was international law that states anyone can explore the moon but no government can lay claim to it! If Japan were to build this then would that not contradict international law?

I think this has more success going for it if it was a private company or group of companies who created it for ALL the worlds needs rather than an individual government. The fact is that with so many wars and superiority created over a few million barrels of oil..... imagine the power a single nation could wield if it owned ALL the energy that could power the entire planet! Japan would become the biggest and richest super-nation on the planet!

I would rather that we had greedy corporations like Apple, Facebook, Google, Nike, etc all come together and develop the technology and make it happen than to allow a single nation all that power. That way it will only be our pockets that are hit for energy needs, and not our borders and soldiers!

[nothinglizx2]

Why are they worrying about that right now? Theres no reason to even think about planning that. By then new technology will exist that will make this thing redundant. But they already know that, so why even come out to the public with this crap.

[The Black Ghost]

Japan has a history of making huge construction plans and not following through... I don't see this as anything more than science fiction until we have the technology to actually get back to the moon...

[spacecowboy342]

Japan has a history of making huge construction plans and not following through... I don't see this as anything more than science fiction until we have the technology to actually get back to the moon...

If we could get to the moon in 1969 I'm pretty sure our technology would get us there now

[Four Winds]

Silly in what way?

A whole host of reasons but the biggest is the cost. 270,000 square miles of solar panels on the moon ain't gonna come cheap.

They have another plan that is a bit more realistic but still cost prohibitive at the moment.

http://phys.org/news172224356.html

Edited November 30, 2013 by Razer

[spacecowboy342]

A whole host of reasons but the biggest is the cost. 270,000 square miles of solar panels on the moon ain't gonna come cheap.

They have another plan that is more realistic but still cost prohibitive at the moment.

http://phys.org/news172224356.html

Expensive yes, but I still think it's a good idea. This or orbiting satellites with solar collectors. The energy is there it seems silly to let it go to waste. Oil aint gonna last forever

[Four Winds]

Expensive yes, but I still think it's a good idea. This or orbiting satellites with solar collectors. The energy is there it seems silly to let it go to waste. Oil aint gonna last forever

It is not like it is expensive in the sense that we could all tighten our belts a bit and get it done. The Japanese are saying 21 billion for 250 square miles in orbit, this is 270,000 square miles on the moon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an 100% behind alternative energies and I don't think nearly enough gets spent on development. We are way to reliant on oil.

I think the first proposal is more of a thought experiment. It could happen in a world where we have self replicating robots on the moon that can harvest the raw materials at the source. It could happen in the future, I don't think this generation will be around to see it.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Razer

[spacecowboy342]

It is not like it is expensive in the sense that we could all tighten our belts a bit in and get it done. The Japanese are saying 21 billion for 250 square miles in orbit, this is 270,000 square miles on the moon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an 100% behind alternative energies and I don't think nearly enough gets spent on development. We are way to reliant on oil. I think the first proposal is more of a thought experiment. It could happen in a world where we have self replicating robots on the moon that can harvest the raw materials at the source. It could happen in the future, I don't think this generation will be around to see it.

Yeah you may be right about that. I have seen programs that say NASA is working on ways to "live off the land" so to speak on the moon by using the rocks to provide oxygen and maybe even to synthesize water but I doubt anything will come of it in my lifetime. I think it's a shame because if more resources had been spent on this I think we could be much closer.

[Four Winds]

Yeah you may be right about that. I have seen programs that say NASA is working on ways to "live off the land" so to speak on the moon by using the rocks to provide oxygen and maybe even to synthesize water but I doubt anything will come of it in my lifetime. I think it's a shame because if more resources had been spent on this I think we could be much closer.

There is still so much untapped energy right here on earth. Personally I would like to see more focus on that just because I think it is money better spent.

[spacecowboy342]

There is still so much untapped energy right here on earth. Personally I would like to see more focus on that just because I think it is money better spent.

I suppose you have a point. It just seems that using solar is getting it directly from the source if you know what I mean. And collectors in orbit would mean 24/7 collection. Of course things like wind and geothermal should be developed also. One way or another we need to get off hydrocarbons

[Four Winds]

And collectors in orbit would mean 24/7 collection.

Yup, which is very nice, where as on the moon they would be in darkness half the time.

[spacecowboy342]

Yup, which is very nice, where as on the moon they would be in darkness half the time.

If they ringed the moon with them they would always get light at some point

[Four Winds]

If they ringed the moon with them they would always get light at some point

Yeah, half would be in darkness and half would get sun at any giving point in time.

[Scuzzy]

China will declare moon to be in it's Defense Zone before the Japanese get there.