- cross-posted to:
- futurology@futurology.today
I’ve never understood some people’s fascination with space-based solar. Why go to all that over-engineered trouble to do something you can do on Earth anyway, except in an orders of magnitude simpler way.
Also, I love to see people devote efforts to space development, but it depresses me to see people do it and waste their time. I know it’s a simplistic way of looking at things, but I wish they’d devote their time to something useful, like creating a commercial space station.
- deegeese ( @deegeese@sopuli.xyz ) English8•8 months ago
I think it makes sense in a Kardashev scale sort of way.
In the distant future, human energy demand may exceed what we can gather from terrestrial solar, especially since we wouldn’t devote the entire Earth to solar panels.
But it makes no sense in this century.
- KevonLooney ( @KevonLooney@lemm.ee ) English1•8 months ago
It doesn’t even make sense in the future. Not only have power requirements decreased over the past two decades, fusion would be a much smaller and denser power generation method than space-based solar.
If solar power improves and power requirements are reduced, eventually you might just slap a few solar cells on every electronic item and call it a day. Solar powered calculators were very popular.
- deegeese ( @deegeese@sopuli.xyz ) English4•8 months ago
Sorry, but I need some evidence for your claim that human energy use has declined in the last 20 years because it contradicts what I’ve heard from everyone else.
- KevonLooney ( @KevonLooney@lemm.ee ) English1•8 months ago
Annual per capita energy consumption was relatively flat from the late-1980s through 2000 and has generally decreased each year since then.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/
Chart: https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/browser/index.php?tbl=T01.07#/?f=M&start=200001
- deegeese ( @deegeese@sopuli.xyz ) English3•8 months ago
But absolute use is still increasing.
- KevonLooney ( @KevonLooney@lemm.ee ) English1•8 months ago
I provided my evidence, now you need to provide yours.
- Malgas ( @Malgas@beehaw.org ) English2•8 months ago
Per the source you linked:
Total U.S. energy consumption has increased, but energy consumption per capita has decreased
- Honytawk ( @Honytawk@lemmy.zip ) English3•8 months ago
It is one of the steps to get to a Dyson swarm.
- Hypx ( @Hypx@kbin.social ) 6•8 months ago
No one has ever explained how the energy is suppose to come back to Earth in a non-crazy fashion. Until then, this will always come off as an impossible idea.
- Possibly linux ( @possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ) English2•8 months ago
That makes sense. In space you need to deal with free bodies and a harsh environment. What’s worse is that you need a way to send it all the way back to earth.
Solar on earth can sit near a city and is fixed.