Leaving aside the fact that they blatantly stole this idea from Dr Evil, exactly how are they going to "beam enough energy back to Earth"? Won't the inverse square law apply here?

Beams don't suffer from the inverse square law. However a super concentrated beam of solar energy directed at the earth might be something to worry about :/ I'm beggining to wonder if it's such a good idea after all.

Leaving aside the fact that they blatantly stole this idea from Dr Evil, exactly how are they going to "beam enough energy back to Earth"? Won't the inverse square law apply here?

Beams don't suffer from the inverse square law. However a super-concentrated beam of solar energy directed at the earth might be something to worry about. :/ I'm beggining to wonder if its such a good idea after all..

Well I doubt they'll be shooting lasers from space. Most likely microwave transmissions like any other piece of tech. Geosynchronized like every other tech.

However a super-concentrated beam of solar energy directed at the earth might be something to worry about. :/

Not if I get to control the targeting...

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[ Oh man, I miss our old forum smileys This new forum doesn't even have a proper evil smiley, an utterly unacceptable situation... ]

What? Building a permanent station on the moon mostly from resources found there? Filled with astronauts and robots? To provide the earth with all the energy it might need? And by that setting the starting point for the colonization of the solar system?

That's so wrong!

This seems ridiculous to me.. Why would we put expensive solar panels on an unprotected rock floating in space that is already littered with impact sites?

This seems ridiculous to me.. Why would we put expensive solar panels on an unprotected rock floating in space that is already littered with impact sites?

They're going to put a deflection shield as well. Geez. Hold your britches!

There is enough solar energy in just 50x50 square miles in the Sahara to power all of Europe.. Double that and you have spare power to convert algae/farm waste into petroleum and that would cover not just the electrical power but industrial power / feedstock. Imagine the trillions spent on fuel reallocated to other things like basic research, health care, infrastructure? All it would take is a few trillion dollars investment upfront, oh about the price of the economic bailouts..

It's not that we don't have the technology, we don't have the economic will..

-ddn

There is enough solar energy in just 50x50 square miles in the Sahara to power all of Europe.. Double that and you have spare power to convert algae/farm waste into petroleum and that would cover not just the electrical power but industrial power / feedstock. Imagine the trillions spent on fuel reallocated to other things like basic research, health care, infrastructure? All it would take is a few trillion dollars investment upfront, oh about the price of the economic bailouts..

It's not that we don't have the technology, we don't have the economic will..

-ddn

Actually, I figured (rabbit out the hat) what you just described would cost the same amount as the LHC. Solar panel ring around the moon would definitely be technlogical feat for mankind. Period. I'd be OK with getting my taxes raised for such a project.

check out this thread on the same topic