Subject: Re: 1000 GW solar

From: Ross Murray <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 23:19:35 GMT

This looks good, but the Oceans are going to get in your way.  It's going
to be hard to get electricity to North America at night.

- Ross Murray

Re: 1000 GW solar                                                            R

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From: Peter Wolfs <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 00:57:44 GMT

>The problem with the global superconducting solar energy grid is its
>centralisation, and all the problems that this would entail. Who would control
>the grid - a huge multinational? In which country would most of it reside? It
>is OK saying 'cover the Sahara Desert' but this would involve over 8
>countries (I think), and countless nomadic and indigeneous peoples. Would
>hostile countries be subjected to 'punishment disconnections'. Paranoid stuff
>I admit, but it needs consideration.
>

I agree that this system has a range of downsides.

I can argue that a global system is not centralized. The large electricity
grids in Europe and the US are not centrally owned but belong to several
local operators. There is copper from Spain to Siberia. They interconnected
(at least in part) because of the economic advantages of selling power
across time zones. Perhaps a solar system as I describe will evolve if
utilities begin to pick up significant PV generation and interconnection
can be made over increasingly wider areas.

A nation may own its own PV systems and import and export power as
conditions dictate. In Europe it certainly happens now. The UK and France
exchange 5GW on cross channel cables to take advantage of time differences.

The internet is one other global network that is not centrally owned.

Dr Peter J. Wolfs                       [=---=]
Electrical Engineering                    \o/
Central Queensland University              X
Rockhampton M.C. 4702                     / \
Australia
Tel +61 79 30 9599
Fax +61 79 30 9382

Re: 1000 GW solar