Z
zergnerd
Guest
I want to get some feedback on an idea I recently had. As our public policy shifts towards more renewable energy solutions, wind and solar seem to get the most attention even though most have significant limitations currently. While nuclear energy is perhaps the cheapest long term solution, its use is stymied by concerns about pollution, long term waste storage, proliferation, a "not in my back yard" attitude and so on. There has also been a lot of talk about putting solar collectors in space (e.g. at L2) and beaming the power back to earth, though laser collimation problems could prove a deal breaker.
My idea is to place nuclear reactors on the moon and then beam the power back to earth. We already know we can send a collimated pulse that distance, courtesy of NASA ranging lasers. Proliferation will no longer be a concern, nor will long term storage of waste, since any race smart enough to go to the moon will be smart enough to understand radiation. Nor would lunar reactors need the same massive concrete shells for civilian safety reducing construction material and, in the long term, perhaps cost. The system would have the following additional advantages:
- 3rd world nations would not need to develop a massive power infrastructure. They would only need local receivers making their development much more rapid.
- More energy efficient designs could be used, since safety margins would be different
- War would no longer destroy a civilian power grid for decades, allowing hospitals to remain functional and recovery to occur more rapidly
- Such a project would generate millions of space-related jobs and provide and infrastructure for manned exploration of the solar system.
- Millions of acres slated for solar plants could be kept "wild"
I think such a system would have mush to offer us in relation to protecting our environment as well as exploring space.
What are your opinions and thoughts? Thanks
Zergnerd
My idea is to place nuclear reactors on the moon and then beam the power back to earth. We already know we can send a collimated pulse that distance, courtesy of NASA ranging lasers. Proliferation will no longer be a concern, nor will long term storage of waste, since any race smart enough to go to the moon will be smart enough to understand radiation. Nor would lunar reactors need the same massive concrete shells for civilian safety reducing construction material and, in the long term, perhaps cost. The system would have the following additional advantages:
- 3rd world nations would not need to develop a massive power infrastructure. They would only need local receivers making their development much more rapid.
- More energy efficient designs could be used, since safety margins would be different
- War would no longer destroy a civilian power grid for decades, allowing hospitals to remain functional and recovery to occur more rapidly
- Such a project would generate millions of space-related jobs and provide and infrastructure for manned exploration of the solar system.
- Millions of acres slated for solar plants could be kept "wild"
I think such a system would have mush to offer us in relation to protecting our environment as well as exploring space.
What are your opinions and thoughts? Thanks
Zergnerd