In general it is clear that the international interest in the possibility of obtaining solar power from structures in space is growing. Papers were presented by researchers from France, Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the United States, Japan, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Italy on various aspects of the concept. Both the technical depth and the range of investigations are increasing. Alternatives to the original concept proposed in 1968 by Dr. P. Glaser of Arthur D. Little, Inc., are being explored for collection of solar power, satellite geometry, and power transmission and the implications of power storage on the ground. Due to the fact that there were four to five parallel sessions in the Congress, it was not possible for this reporter to attend all of the space power sessions of interest. Thus, this report will mention both the sessions attended and comment on other talks for which reprints or abstracts were available. Session 39: Satellite Power Stations for Earth J.M. Longsdon (George Washington University, Washington, D.C.) presented “Global Implications of Satellite Power Stations,” in which is was argued that the SPS development would most likely proceed along international lines. Several alternative scenarios for organizing and implementing the enterprises were presented. Questions of ownership of systems which provide power to only one vs several countries were considered. Problems of international regulation of nationally owned systems and the possibilities of ownership by international consortia were discussed. M.J. Claverie and Alain P. Dupas (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France) explored “Terrestrial vs space baseload solar electricity.” Analyses of the costs of space (SPS) and terrestrial solar systems (TSPS) were compared for the provision of baseload power to terrestrial users made possible by the incorporation of power storage. The effects of station latitude, ranging from Delhi to Stockholm, were considered. In most cases the TSPS would require solar arrays which would extend into the safety zone of the SPS rectenna system in order to achieve similar power output. Power storage was assumed to be necessary for both the SPS and TSPS systems and models were constructed for both hydrogen electrolysis/fuel cell and battery systems. It was concluded that even in baseload operation, which is quite unfavorable to the TSPS, the costs of TSPS in the sunniest areas might be quite close to those of SPS, and would not be very much higher in mid-latitude sites. TSPS land use is higher than SPS rectenna land sites, but the TSPS components do not have to be contiguous. Neither a preprint nor an abstract was available on the paper, “Solar Power Satellites for Europe,” by J. Ruth or W. Westphal of the Technical University of Berlin. Dr. F. Koomanoff (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.) gave the “Status Report on the U.S. Solar Power Satellite Evaluation Program.” The immediate objective of the Space Power Program of the United States is to obtain an initial understanding of the technical feasibility, economic practicality and social and environmental acceptability of the space power concept. The results of present studies will be reviewed in the June-July 1980 time frame. Assuming a favorable review, more extensive ground-based exploration could begin in 1981. It was emphasized that the major thrust of the program now is to analyze a reference model of the space power system generated by NASA and several subcontractors which is generally similar to the original proposal by Dr. P. Glaser. These investigations will focus on the environmental, social, and economic implications of the terrestrial receipt of the solar power and resources required. The program to date
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