In developing countries, present energy consumption patterns in the domestic sector indicate that energy for cooking alone accounts for over 80% of the primary energy (4). Through successful development of solar cookers, solar electricity and other such energy applications, both the developed and developing countries can reduce their demand for traditional fuels and thereby contribute to a decline in their real cost. As a further consequence, the cost of petroleum by-products such as fertilizers, plastics and pharmaceutical products would also tend to decline. Thus, the impact of solar applications can be highly significant, not only in providing a direct source of energy, but as a means of influencing prices in several further sectors of a national economy. A further advantage of solar energy is its potential for both centralized and decentralized distribution. Many areas in which electricity costs currently prohibit its use could soon become abundantly supplied through local or area receiving stations. Such stations would function as independent entities, providing employment of a low-skill nature for some natives of the locale and offering the advantages of more specific and local planning. The economic and social benefits of such local energy stations could prove considerable in terms of a total national development program. The low environmental impact of solar energy also represents a major advantage for both the developed and developing countries. For those nations now facing the political and economic difficulties of nuclear energy, coal and other such sources, solar energy offers a relatively clean alternative. For the developed countries which have already taken measures against further pollution of their territories, this aspect of solar energy could be instrumental in their decision to undertake a major solar power program. The developing countries, in turn, would possess the opportunity, through solar power, of satisfying their growing energy needs without jeopardizing their own generally more pollution-free environments. Although such factors as its versatility, low environmental impact and socioeconomic advantages are major considerations favoring the development of solar energy, several specific factors contribute to the developing countries' rationale for establishing a satellite solar power system. Technically, the strength and constancy of the Sun's rays in outer space as compared to their condition upon reaching Earth is of considerable importance. A solar power satellite placed in the geostationary orbit receives sunlight approximately 30% stronger than that received upon the ground and can provide a predictable supply of energy despite weather disturbances or interruptions by the diurnal cycle on Earth. As a result, it has been estimated that a satellite solar power system in the geostationary orbit could collect at least four times the solar energy which would be received on Earth (5). In view of the need for a definitive solution to global energy needs, a satellite solar power system offers a single and general solution for global supply. Once such a system is in place, receiving stations could be constructed on a country or regional basis, offering a variety of methods for the supply of energy. Several countries might join together in constructing such a station, each slowly developing its own network of energy supply lines sustained by that primary regional energy source. Other nations might construct their own such stations and supply interested countries on a commercial basis. The commitment required to implement such a system would be unprecedented, and yet its potential for energy supply is equally beyond the limited means of any single national energy program. In terms of a global debate concerning the merits of a satellite solar power system, the developing countries would initially receive the most striking benefits. For
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==