0191-9O67/81/010169-O9S02.0O/0 Copyright ° 1981 SUN SAT Energy Council POTENTIAL INTEREST IN EUROPE IN AN SPS DEVELOPMENT K. K. REINHARTZ European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands Abstract — The solar satellite power system is a concept whereby large solar-energy converters are placed in outer space and the electrical energy produced is transmitted back to earth as microwave radiation. A number of studies, performed mainly in the United States, are aimed at assessing the technical, economic, social, and health aspects of this concept. This paper does not address the feasibility of the SPS as such, but discusses the potential contribution that an SPS could make to the European energy scenario, the economic impact of the SPS as an indigenous European energy source, and the potential importance of the SPS as a technology driver. A European network of forty solar power satellites could supply electrical energy equal to Europe’s present electrical energy production and significantly reduce Europe’s dependence on energy imports and the associated transfer of wealth. Additionally, the development of a power satellite technology, if started by the United States, can be expected to lead to a large advancement in key areas, e.g., space industrialisation, photovoltaic energy conversion and wireless transmission of energy, and Europe, if it were not to participate, would be left behind in the development and exploitation of many important technologies. 1. INTRODUCTION In the solar satellite power system (SPS) concept, solar energy is collected and converted into electrical energy in space. The electrical energy is transmitted to earth, for example, as microwave energy, which is then received and rectified on the ground. Various system configurations are being studied which differ in their approach to solar energy collection and conversion, as well as in the powertransmission concept employed. A description of the SPS concept and a summary of the present status of all significant studies of the SPS was recently presented at a Satellite Power System Programme Review (1). Various government departments and industrial organisations in Europe have been looking at the satellite power system for the last six years (2). Most of the studies have been rather superficial and there has not yet been any systematic European analysis of the SPS comparable to the ongoing three-year assessment and evaluation programme in the United States performed jointly by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (3). European interest in the SPS has recently started to grow, but there is still considerable doubt as to whether the SPS as a potential energy source could be of interest to Europe. This paper will not attempt to answer the questions of whether the SPS is technically and economically feasible, or whether the potential environment and health problems associated with SPS operation will be acceptable. These issues are being studied in the United States and at a much lower key, in Europe. A much larger effort, in terms of both time and investment, will still be needed to produce a final
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