Lunar System to Supply Solar Electric Power to Earth

Abstract

The capacity of global electric power systems must be increased tenfold by the year 2050 to meet the energy needs of the 10 billion people assumed to populate the Earth by then. Few studies directly address this enormous challenge. Conventional terrestrial renewable, nuclear, and coal systems can not provide the power. Solar power collected on the moon can meet these needs. It would be collected by large area, thin-film photovoltaics and converted into thousands of low intensity microwave beams. These beams would be projected from shared, large diameter synthetic apertures on the moon to receivers located anywhere on Earth. Engineering and cost models indicate that the Lunar Power System (LPS) is economically robust and can be built at a faster rate than all other power systems. Internal rates of return in excess of 40% per year may be feasible. LPS uses understood technology. It can be environmentally supportive rather than simply benign or damaging. LPS implementation can immediately channel national and world R&D aerospace and electronics capabilities into completely peaceful directions and enable human prosperity.