Solar-pumped laser power transmission, a way to dramatically decrease launch costs?
in [Physics]
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From: Androcles on 13 Feb 2010 12:42 "David Spain" <nospam(a)127.0.0.1> wrote in message news:6u3a1511hl.fsf(a)ws125.sysdef.com... > Frankly all this seems academic, I haven't seen anything posted that shows > a practical way to convert a laser beam to electricity, unlike a microwave > beam. > > ? > > Dave Actually what you ask for is quite feasible... depending on your definition of "practical" . If you have a use for it then I'll do it for you - for my fee, of course.
From: David Spain on 13 Feb 2010 12:49 "Androcles" <Headmaster(a)Hogwarts.physics_u> writes: > If you have a use for it then I'll do it for you - for my fee, of course. And I have a bridge to sell you, for my fee of course.... ;-) Dave
From: David Spain on 13 Feb 2010 13:19 Pat Flannery <flanner(a)daktel.com> writes: > David Spain wrote: >> Frankly all this seems academic, I haven't seen anything posted that shows >> a practical way to convert a laser beam to electricity, unlike a microwave >> beam. > > Focus it and use it to heat some sort of working fluid for a boiler and > turbine? Eh? Why bother with the tertiary conversion? That's even less efficient. If you need to move the SPS closer to the sun, just enlarge the microwave antenna on the sat to get a tighter beam. > This would be pretty clunky due to the fairly low efficiency of the laser > converting electrical energy into a beam, although lasers have been built that > convert sunlight straight into a laser beam with no intermediary electrical > step: http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19402/ We'll that would make more sense, but you still have to do conversion. Not convinced. Dave
From: Androcles on 13 Feb 2010 15:04 "David Spain" <nospam(a)127.0.0.1> wrote in message news:6uljexyqjm.fsf(a)ws125.sysdef.com... > "Androcles" <Headmaster(a)Hogwarts.physics_u> writes: >> If you have a use for it then I'll do it for you - for my fee, of course. > > And I have a bridge to sell you, for my fee of course.... > > ;-) > > Dave I do have a use for a bridge, actually. A gentleman by the name of Wheatstone gave me one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatstone_bridge I could use it to measure the laser generated current for you; but my fee will be higher than yours, I know what I'm doing.
From: Androcles on 13 Feb 2010 15:11
"Pat Flannery" <flanner(a)daktel.com> wrote in message news:C6SdnZo- > Focus it and use it to heat some sort of working fluid for a boiler and > turbine? Already doing that, dimwit. http://www.power-technology.com/projects/Seville-Solar-Tower/ |