Questions regarding Lewis One

--- In spacesettlers, "ANTIcarrot." wrote:

> One potential problem with this would be with cut cables. The 3x3mm
> could carry 7.2kW and would be ~3000x more powerful than sunlight.
> That could give workmen some nasty burns, or start fires, and it
> wouldn't cut it self off like electricity does.

When the cables have to be worked on, a shade would cover the sunward
end. If a break or some such occured along the route, a shade would
cover the sunward end, but there would have to be a way of knowing
that such a break had ocurred, other than "Hey! We got a fire here!!"

> You also get extra expense if you're laying one utility network for
> heat, light, and electricity when electricity can do the job of all
> three.

I really don't have an answer for that, other than to say that you
are right. This piping sunlight around business wouldn't be done
unless it were fairly cheap, and there was a good reason, and I'm not
sure the coolness factor would be enough. Of course, if piping
sunlight is how the habitat is lit up in general, then we have a lot
of fibers being produced, and the price drops. Drops enough? I
honestly don't know.