14 DAY TRIAL // In spite of the fact that considerable amounts of energy can be produced by means of solar energy, it seems that, both during night-time and whenever the weather decides to act out, we no longer have access to the “goodies” our dear, old sun has is store for us.
Thus, aerospace engineers in Scotland wanted to find a way to by-pass the earth's cloudy and rather unpredictable orbit. Working together with researchers from Europe, Japan and the U.S., they came up with a revolutionary concept: that of an orbital solar-power plant.
This revolutionary solar-power project benefits from the support of NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts, and is already undergoing preliminary tests and experiments.
According to earthtechling.com, Massimiliano Vasile, the scientist in charge of this project, argues that “space provides a fantastic source for collecting solar power and we have the advantage of being able to gather it regardless of the time of the day or indeed the weather conditions.”
Massimiliano Vasile also strongly believes that “this would provide a reliable, quality source of energy and would remove the need for storing energy coming from renewable sources on ground as it would provide a constant delivery of solar energy.”
Apparently, the plan is to first use this new type of technology to generate enough power to support a small village. Should everything turn out alright, then plans can be made to meet the energy demands of larger cities in a similar manner.
As well as sending energy back to our planet, these orbital solar stations could be used to provide for missions in outer space, which means that much more complex and longer-lasting explorations into our cosmos could soon be possible.
From where we stand, the idea of collecting solar-energy straight from the source is to be whole-heartedly embraced, particularly in those regions of the globe where people barely even get to see the sun, let alone soak up its energy.