Table 2*8 Electricity Pricing Considerations 2.6. Financing A project as large as a space solar power system will require participation by government organizations in a variety of roles. Certainly government agencies will be involved in regulating the launch and operation of such as system, covering such aspects as spectrum usage, worker and public safety, environmental impacts, and possibly energy distribution and pricing. It is very likely that the government role will go beyond these basics, and may involve participating in the funding of a space solar power system, helping to identify and demonstrate important technologies, and cooperating with other entities (international and commercial) in designing, developing, and deploying a space solar power system The level of government involvement and the particular roles of government actors relative to private sector participants will be a function of the economics of space solar power in the future, domestic and international political factors, the business environment, and many other factors. No decision about the ultimate long-term roles of government and industry can be made at this early stage in considering space solar power systems. 2.6.1. To Get Financing According to the venture capitalists and power industry representatives who participated in the economic technical interchange meeting a very important element of obtaining financing for a project that relies on new technology is to conduct a successfill demonstration of the technology. These experts also said that in considering whether a space solar power project could be financed it is important to recognize that renewable energy projects have had problems and that consistent operation has been difficult to achieve. Risk perceptions associated with renewables have made financing more difficult to get. The recommendation was, where possible, to choose the technology or project option that is the easiest to explain; the simple option, these experts felt, would be perceived as more likely to work.
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