Comments on: Space Based Solar Power (And Other Energy Pipe Dreams) http://www.getreallist.com/space-based-solar-power-and-other-energy-pipe-dreams.html Deal With Reality or It Will Deal With You Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:09:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chris http://www.getreallist.com/space-based-solar-power-and-other-energy-pipe-dreams.html/comment-page-1#comment-3572 Chris Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:43:14 +0000 http://www.getreallist.com/?p=1065#comment-3572 Not quite. In much of the U.S., you get about 6 hours a day of good insolation. In the worst areas you get about 4 (averaged over the year). So the benefit of being able to generated 24/7 is only 4x to 6x the capacity of a ground-based system. Against a 0.3% price differential (which is even lower now, since prices for solar PV have fallen substantially since 2009, and fossil-fueled grid power prices have increased), it still makes absolutely no economic sense to me. Also, CSP appears to be losing the battle with PV on an economics basis now, as several utility-scale plants in California have switched from CSP to PV designs in the last year. Not quite. In much of the U.S., you get about 6 hours a day of good insolation. In the worst areas you get about 4 (averaged over the year). So the benefit of being able to generated 24/7 is only 4x to 6x the capacity of a ground-based system. Against a 0.3% price differential (which is even lower now, since prices for solar PV have fallen substantially since 2009, and fossil-fueled grid power prices have increased), it still makes absolutely no economic sense to me. Also, CSP appears to be losing the battle with PV on an economics basis now, as several utility-scale plants in California have switched from CSP to PV designs in the last year.

]]> By: Mark Heslep http://www.getreallist.com/space-based-solar-power-and-other-energy-pipe-dreams.html/comment-page-1#comment-3567 Mark Heslep Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:58:19 +0000 http://www.getreallist.com/?p=1065#comment-3567 "Why would anyone be interested in space-based solar power when commercial utility scale solar technology on the ground today costs 0.3% of its price?" Because, among other reasons, space based solar runs 24/7 and doesn't require backup. Also, the various SBS concepts all make great used of concentrated solar (mirrors), so comparing the cost of a square meter of SBS to a square meter of PV on the ground is invalid. “Why would anyone be interested in space-based solar power when commercial utility scale solar technology on the ground today costs 0.3% of its price?”

Because, among other reasons, space based solar runs 24/7 and doesn’t require backup.

Also, the various SBS concepts all make great used of concentrated solar (mirrors), so comparing the cost of a square meter of SBS to a square meter of PV on the ground is invalid.

]]> By: Sustainability News Headlines - 4/20/2009 | Eco Friendly Mag http://www.getreallist.com/space-based-solar-power-and-other-energy-pipe-dreams.html/comment-page-1#comment-939 Sustainability News Headlines - 4/20/2009 | Eco Friendly Mag Thu, 07 May 2009 16:19:31 +0000 http://www.getreallist.com/?p=1065#comment-939 [...] Space-Based Solar Power (And Other Energy Pipe Dreams) GetRealList, 4/20 [...] [...] Space-Based Solar Power (And Other Energy Pipe Dreams) GetRealList, 4/20 [...]

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