[p2p-research] Solar energy plant in space...Japan takes a shot

[Paul D. Fernhout]

Ryan Lanham wrote:
> http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/09/01/japan-plans-21-billion-solar-space-post-to-power-294000-homes/

The beginning of a thread with lots of reason I wrote on why space based 
solar power is a bad idea:
http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/2008-November/046620.html

There are many reasons, but the most crucial is perhaps: "In general, like 
conventional nuclear power, solar space satellites assume a concentration of 
capital and decision making and political control, which is opposite of the 
way our society needs to move for energy security IMHO..."

Also related (I was a volunteer/contributor part of the Space Studies 
Institute (SSI) for a time starting in the 1980s):
"""
IMHO, we might see space-based power on Earth in the long term future -- but
only after we otherwise have a space infrastructure, which is not why most
people push it now. What I saw from years of participating in SSI activities
is that, deep down, most SSI people saw Solar Power Satellites as a way to
fund space habitats (as many cared mostly about the space habitations). I'm
not saying they did not care at all about Earth's environmental issues, but
they often came second. I see solar space satellites as a distraction from
other approaches to promoting space habitation more directly, given that I
feel we have a very real opportunity using the internet to just design and
build space habitations ourselves (perhaps involving one billionaire footing
the bill for one self-replicating seed we collectively design).
"""

--Paul Fernhout
http://www.pdfernhout.net/