ingly dangerous financial drain caused by the escalating price of imported energy. Forty power satellites, each with an output of 5 GW, could eventually replace approximately 400 million tons of oil per year, valued at about $100 billion at present prices. This assumes that all the electrical energy supplied by the SPS would be alternatively generated from oil with an efficiency of 0.3. Energy is, of course, not only needed in electrical form and the actual displacement of oil might be somewhat lower in practice. Since electrical energy can often be used much more economically than thermal energy, e.g., through the use of heat pumps instead of furnaces for space heating, or the production of hydrogen as a clean fuel, the conversion factor is probably realistic. Provided Europe could develop the necessary technology and manufacturing facilities to build a satellite power system, the provision of energy would no longer be a burden on our balance-of-payments but would constitute an economic activity with a high advanced-technology content, very compatible with European capabilities. Based on his cost estimates for the SPS. R. Piland calculated that production of two power satellites per year would require an average work force of 542,000 men. In principle, terrestrial solar electricity generation in combination with an efficient storage system is also a major potential energy source. However, if these solar power plants are placed in areas with high insolation — outside Europe — European countries would only exchange their dependence on oil producing countries into a similar dependence on countries exporting solar generated energy. 4. THE IMPACT OF SPS TECHNOLOGY Although Europe may, in principle, be able to provide the technical and financial resources necessary for the independent development of a satellite power system, it appears much more likely that Europe would enter into an SPS development as a partner in a joint venture with the United States and other countries. However, past experience in other areas, e.g., nuclear energy, has shown that cooperation in the development of a new technology does not exclude competition and independent commercial exploitation of a new technology. Apart from the issue of whether the SPS could become a viable energy source for Europe, the question should be asked, therefore, whether Europe as a group of highly industrialised countries could afford not to participate in an SPS technology and development programme if other countries should decide to proceed. It is, of course, not possible to accurately predict the impact a programme of the size and the advanced nature of an SPS might have on the development of new industries. It is safe, however, to predict that technology and science will be advanced in many areas, ranging from space technology to medical science. As examples, three different subjects will be considered. The most obvious impact would be on the advancement of space technology. So far, the SPS is the only space-exploitation concept, seriously being studied, that would lead eventually to large-scale industrial use of space and which would justify the creation of a large space infrastructure. This would certainly revolutionise the whole spectrum of space technology and application as it is known today. It is unlikely that countries not involved in such a programme could continue to play a significant role in space activities. Outside of the “space community” it is often not realised that the use of outer space is rapidly expanding from pure science to large- scale commercial applications. Communication by satellites has a very large effect
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