User:Gandhi822/Space-based solar power

Lead
SBSP has many components in order for it to successfully succeed. There are different things that could be done for SBSP to work including implementing Laser Solar Satellites. The impact SBSP has on the environment is prominent and can help with many outstanding issues. However, there are many concerns tied into SBSP that still have to be explored.

Laser Solar Satellites
Laser Solar Satellites are smaller in size, meaning that they have to work as a group with other similar satellites. There are many pros to Laser Solar Satellites, specifically regarding their lower overall costs in comparison to other satellites. While the cost is lower than other satellites, there are various safety concerns, and other concerns regarding this satellite. Laser-emitting solar satellites only need to venture about 400 km into space, but because of their small generation capacity, hundreds or thousands of laser satellites would need to be launched in order to create a sustainable impact. A single satellite launch can range from fifty to four hundred million dollars. Lasers could be helpful for the energy from the sun harvested in space, to be returned back to Earth in order for terrestrial power demands to be met.

Environmental Impacts
SBSP does not emit greenhouse gases unlike oil, gas, ethanol, and coal plants. Space based solar power also does not depend on or compete with scarce fresh water resources, unlike coal and nuclear plants. SBSP generates forty times more than solar panels, and bring almost zero percent of hazardous waste to our environment. It also allows for electricity to be generated continuously, twenty four hours a day, ninety nine percent of the year. If the clean energy that is provided from space-based solar power account for just five percent of our national energy consumption, our carbon footprint would be significantly reduced.

Concerns
Although SBSP, has many pros, there are many concerns surrounding SBSP. The first one being how expensive it is to begin SBSP. Infrastructure including solar panels, power converters, and power transmitters will have to be built in order to begin the process. This will be extremely expensive and maintaining them will cost even more. Since these systems would be in space, they obviously would not be able to be controlled hands-on. Researchers, will need to create a way to maintain these systems autonomously, which could create some technical issues. Research has also shown that an increase in population can increase congestion and ultimately could cause pieces of orbital debris, which was concluded from a test China had done with their satellite.