A Japanese construction firm is proposing to solve
the well-documented energy problems facing Japan - and ultimately the entire
planet - by turning the moon into a colossal solar power plant.
Tokyo-based Shimizu Corp. wants to lay a belt of
solar panels 250 miles wide around the equator of our orbiting neighbor and
then relay the constant supply of energy to “receiving stations” on Earth by
way of lasers or microwave transmission.
The “Luna Ring” that is being proposed would be
capable of sending 13,000 terawatts of power to Earth. Throughout the whole of
2011, it points out, the United States only generated 4,100 terawatts of power.
“A shift from economical use of limited resources to
the unlimited use of clean energy is the ultimate dream of mankind,” Shimizu
says in the proposal on its web site. “The Luna Ring ... translates this dream
into reality through ingenious ideas coupled with advanced space technologies.”
Public opposition to atomic energy has hardened in
the intervening years, as the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. struggle
to bring the stricken plant’s reactors under control.
There is a general acceptance that Japan, which shut
down its last functioning nuclear reactor in September, will need to restart
its nuclear plants in the short term, but the disaster has focused new
attention on alternative - and safer - forms of energy.
Shimizu first came up with its Luna Ring proposal
before the accident at Fukushima, but the ongoing crisis means it is attracting
renewed interest.
Shimizu is reluctant to put a price tag on the
construction costs involved but, given adequate funding, the company believes
construction work could get under way as early as 2035.
Robots and automated equipment would be developed to
mine the moon’s natural resources and produce concrete and the solar cells
required for the scheme.
Once completed, the belt would stretch 6,800 miles
around the equator and ensure constant exposure to the sun - without the
interference of cloud cover - and an equally constant transfer of energy to the
Earth.
Shimizu believes that “virtually inexhaustible,
non-polluting solar energy is the ultimate source of green energy”.
No comments:
Post a Comment