Energy Generation in Space

Where does this claim of 4 orders of magnitude increase in reliability
come from? I know that generators normally get preventive maintenance
once every year on average, so who was building solar cells 10 000
years ago to validate this claim.

The best solar panels today are rated for 10 years.

Also don't underestimate a gas turbine system. A 1 megawatt generator
is actually quite small and compact, much smaller than the equivilent
amount of solar cells and when everything is miscellaneous cost
compared to the launch cost one should seriously look at such options.

Now to another point. Did anyone mention simply mount light weight
alunium mylar mirrors and pointing the sunlight the reflect down to a
place where it can be used on the ground. They may be used to extend
growing seasons in cold countries or provide reliable 24/7 sunlight to
ground based solar cells.

Also lets talk about heat instead of electricity. Using concave
mirrors to focus sunlight in space to be used by industrial processes
directly instead of going through the intermediate electricity stage.
This would be used in space, but that doesn't matter.

This may not be considered energy but mining and returning fissionable
elements from asteroids or the moon or mercury might also be a
possibility.

Helium 3 is always talked about but few people understand the reason
we want helium 3 is that it is a key fuel element in fusion research
and presumably if fusion ever happens a major fuel element.

This may be considered energy storage not energy production but refine
high reactive elements such as sodium, lithium, and potassium and use
them to produce rechargable batteries to be kept in space with the
power beamed down to cover electrical peaks.

Bill

--- In ssi_list@... GARY ANSORGE