What the best idea yet for transmitting energy to earth from space?

[nhnifong]

I just ran accross this cool kurzweil article about space solar

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-limitless-power-source-for-the-indefinite-future

But it does not mention the proposed technology for transmitting energy back from orbit to earth...

I assume the the best option yet is an infrared laser on the sattellite with a collector, boiler, and steam turbine back on earth.

Has anyone heard of other ways? like synthesizing energy-dense matter in space and shipping it down-well?

[Seret]

I assume the the best option yet is an infrared laser on the sattellite with a collector, boiler, and steam turbine back on earth.

I believe most of the studies have been microwave, although laser gets a look-in. It's a cool idea, but doesn't seem to be likely to actually happen any time soon.

[zapy97]

this actually kinda scares me because an infrared laser could easily be weaponized, kinda like in the old "command and conquere tiberium sun, and C and C 3 Tiberium wars" where the good guys GDI has orbital space based weapons like the ion cannon that can level cities in one shot, well thats just me though

[Accelerando]

Water vapor is good at mopping up infrared. I would guess that radio waves are the most viable option, as the portrayals I have seen of orbit-surface beamed solar power involve using MASERs/tight microwave beams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_window

If it were possible to transmit power over the cable of a space elevator, perhaps beaming to an elevator power relay could be less lossy than direct beaming?

[Johno]

It's worth mentioning that the microwave power array would rely on low energy over a large area - in theory, a bird could fly all the way through the beam and roost in the middle for a few minutes without the slightest ill-effect. Safety of this concept is quite acceptable.

[Kosmo-not]

It's worth mentioning that the microwave power array would rely on low energy over a large area - in theory, a bird could fly all the way through the beam and roost in the middle for a few minutes without the slightest ill-effect. Safety of this concept is quite acceptable.

Darn, I was hoping to roast marshmallows from my window.

[sneakeypete]

Not at all, is the answer i'd pick, to be honest.

[Tommygun]

Has anyone heard of other ways? like synthesizing energy-dense matter in space and shipping it down-well?

It's not really practical, but if you could build a solar farm on the moon, then produce aluminum blocks with a steel covering and shoot them back to Earth with a rail gun like devise, you are indirectly shipping energy to Earth.

That is, the energy that would have been used to refine the Aluminum is now free to do other work.

[Johno]

Actually, the idea of beaming power from space to Earth is much more practical than people realise - as you can read in the wiki article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_satellite), a lot of thought has gone into working the kinks out of the system.

Of course, we're yet to actually launch a satellite, so who knows what might happen? But since all we have at this point is theoretical information, it's certainly an idea with enough merit to try.