Fig. 1. Solar Power Satellite concept cost of these techniques was never competitive with low-cost oil and natural gas. In addition, there were certain inherent limitations associated with the use of solar energy, such as the day-night cycle and cloud cover. It was to such limitations as these that Dr. Peter Glaser of the A. D. Little Company turned his attention even before the oil embargo. As early as 1968, Dr. Glaser presented a concept (1) for the collection and conversion of solar energy which circumvented the problems of terrestrial solar concepts. The basic concept as illustrated in Fig. 1 is straightforward. It involves placing a large solar collector at geosynchronous orbit. The collected solar energy is transmitted to an Earth receiver utilizing microwave techniques. The location of the collector in geosynchronous orbit provides access to the Sun's energy nearly 100% of the time, and the microwave transmission allows the immediate and continuous transfer of energy to Earth. The advantages of the concept lie in its capability to collect more solar energy for a given area of collector over a given time and to provide energy continuously without regard to the day-night cycle and cloud cover. The concept was analyzed (2-5) by a number of industrial groups and NASA in the early 1970's. In 1976, the Department of Energy and NASA initiated a concept evaluation program (6, 7) which will be completed in 1980. The objective of the concept evaluation program is to develop an initial understanding of the economic practicality and the social and environmental acceptability of the Solar Power Satellite system concept by the end of 1980. The program is divided into four major components: Systems definition Environment, health, and safety Socioeconomic issues Comparative assessment
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