|
Japan
Allocates Budget to Begin Solar Power Satellite Research
Japan's Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has ambitious plans to launch a
giant solar power station by 2040. (METI is the new name for what
was formerly the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).)
METI has allocated budget ,for fiscal year 2001, for research into a
solar power generation satellite, with work scheduled to begin in
April.
METI plans to
launch a satellite capable of generating one million kilowatts per
second into geostationary orbit. The satellite would have two
gigantic solar power-generating wing panels, each measuring three
kilometers by a 1,000 meter power transmission antenna between them.
The electricity produced would be sent back to earth in the form of
microwaves with an intensity lower than those emitted by mobile
phones. The receiving antenna on the ground, several kilometers in
diameter, would probably be set up in a desert or at sea, and the
electricity relayed from there along conventional cables.
The
satellite is projected to weigh about 20,000 metric tonnes with the
total construction cost estimated at US$17 billion (two trillion
yen). It would cost about 23 yen per kilowatt hour to generate power
in space compared to nine yen for thermal or nuclear power
generation.
SPACEandTECH Digest is a weekly roundup of the latest industry news of interest
to the space professional. SPACEandTECH Flash! is an internet push
service offered by Andrews Space & Technology to bring the
latest on orders, launches, and important breaking news to your
desktop. SPACEandTECH Digest and SPACEandTECH Flash! are part of
the Andrews Space & Technology www.spaceandtech.com
website, a website designed to serve the information needs of the
space industry.
If you would like to subscribe to the SPACEandTECH
Flash!
(currently a free service), contact the www.spaceandtech.com
Editor-in-Chief, Joe Hopkins, at editor@spaceandtech.com
|
