The degree of international participation will depend on the form of the organization formed to develop the SPS and eventually to operate a system of SPSs. To derive the maximum benefits from a global SPS system, policies will have to be adopted which would be acceptable to other nations and lead to the formation of the most appropriate international SPS organization. The organizational form could be modeled after existing international agencies such as INTELSAT or ESA. Possible organizational structures are deserving of further study to assure that the benefits of the SPS could be available on a global basis and to increase the opportunities for developing nations to take an active part in the utilization of energy sources available beyond the biosphere. 10. CONCLUSIONS The potential of the SPS to meet future energy demand is being recognized and plans for its development are being studied. As great a technological challenge as the SPS is, no reason has yet come to light for concluding that it could not be built and operated successfully. Indeed, there is growing confidence in the technical community that, given the resources for the task, the SPS could be built and would work. How well it would work, for how long, with what societal impact, and at what cost is yet to be determined (4). It is desirable to determine whether or not the SPS concept is a sufficiently attractive long-term energy supply option to warrant development. That decision, as with any other energy supply option, should be made as soon as it is possible to do so rationally, so that energy policy and planning for the various competitive options can be based on reasonably confident knowledge of their key characteristics. Therefore, an aggressive concept and innovation and technology verification program should be initiated and conducted in parallel with programs which support the other energy supply alternatives so that the necessary rational comparisons with alternative sources can be made more or less simultaneously (4). The SPS is one of the most promising power generation options which could contribute to meeting global energy demands in the 21st century. Its successful implementation, together with energy conservation measures and terrestrial solar energy conversion methods could lead to the elimination of energy-related concerns. The successful development of the SPS would counteract the trends toward a stagnant society with prescribed limits to growth, and an aversion to risk taking. Therefore, in a broader sense, the development of the SPS goes counter to the frame of mind where every new technological development is “viewed with alarm” rather than “pointed to with pride” as an accomplishment. Our civilization has successfully unlocked the last frontier — space — which promises to lead to the extension of peaceful human activities beyond the confines of the Earth's surface. On the basis of the increasing confidence in the feasibility and promise of the SPS, this option deserves serious consideration as humanity faces the challenges posed by the inevitable transition to renewable sources of energy and becomes aware of the potential of space for improving the human condition.
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