Pretty O'Neill cylinders, but...

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 23:09:48 -0000, Espen Antonsen
wrote:
> has anyone actually done an economical analysis if
> SPS can compete with existing power sources?

Everyone being complete morons- of course not! Oh, wait!

> If it can't we should
> drop that concept and rather spend our energy thinking up alternative
> methods of getting from here to there.

The estimates that have been done seem to show that it costs 2 or more
times more than conventional hydrocarbon or nuclear power generation.

However, the overall environmental and political impacts of this form
of power generation are far lower; and factoring these factors means
that SPS is more cost effective than conventional approaches.

> Espen

--
-Ian Woollard

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in
practice there is."
"a society in which people can do and say what they want will also
tend to be one in which the most efficient solutions win" - Paul
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