Aiming lunar while going solar
While some people are trying to figure out whether they want to install solar panels on the roofs of their houses, a Japanese firm is attempting to determine whether it can build a 6,800-mile ring of solar panels around the moon. Ever since the Fukushima power plant was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Japan has been trying to regain some of its lost nuclear energy, or replace it altogether.
The plan involves robots mining the moon’s surface for materials to help build a belt of solar panels 250 miles wide around the moon’s equator, ensuring constant exposure to the sun without the interference of cloud cover. The panels would send energy to receiving stations on Earth by laser, microwave transmission or whatever new technology may have been developed by then.
The firm, Shimizu Corporation of Tokyo, believes it could generate 13,000 terawatts of energy per year through these panels. As a comparison, the U.S. produced 4,500 terawatts in 2011. This project may seem rather futuristic – and it is. A firm spokesperson estimated that assuming it can acquire funding, work could begin on the project by 2035.
More immediately, have you given any thought to installing solar panels on the roof of your home to save on electrical bills and be prepared for power outages? If so, what has held you back from doing it so far? I’d love to hear from you about this.
I was wondering what would happen to our planets ozone layer? And how would they plan to focus power thru our planets ever changing atmosphere? Too many variables.
There was a plan to hang a power cable thru the upper atmosphere down to earth as a geo stationary low orbit satellite produces power from our planets magnetic feild. Tests generated more power than the cable could handle and it melted. That seems very much more viable than transmitting power from the moon.
I have small solar system from harbor freight that I put on my shed. Works good and charges several batteries stored under shed floor. Works good and easy to get started.
Keep up the good work.
I would like to have solar panels but I have a step son that would mess up the solar panels just like he has all the wires in the house so as you can see it would be a wast of time and money to have any installed
There is plenty of power already stremomg down from the sun without wasting money trying to “improve” the situation.
Concentrate on harvesting and efficiency of use of this energy on the surface of the earth.
The other plans are lunacy!
This is what we can expect from a country that built a barge to float up through the rainforests in South America so they could destroy millions of acres of forest just to turn a quick buck. Now they have fixed greedy eyes on the moon. Not surprising at all they plan on mining the moons surface in order to make this attempt. Sounds like something they would come up with. No regard whatsoever for anything ~ just blindly dash after profit. There is no profit when you consider all that is lost in these ventures.
It is difficult to get solar heat when you rent as i do am also on SSI which doesn’t leave me enough to even get a generator
so I am stuck any ideas people??
I too am on SSI, and they are taking $10 a month. any way you have to start small. gather materials each month with what you can afford to spend, then build the project as you go. a solar hot air device does not even need any power to circulate the heat, same for solar water. for solar electric you can buy 1 pannel at a time on ebay or big box store, if you do not wish to attempt to build your own pannel. first buy 1 panel, then a charge controler then a deep cycle battery, and then an inverter. small 400 watt inverters are cheep especialy when buying used. the panel can be placed in a south facing window. this small system will get you some real life knollege and your feet wet. as for the deep cycle batteries, if you want to you can buy the small ones for children’s toys at discount store. lots of free info on how to do this on youtube.
ive done this and have already sold my stuff to a friend who waaanted to go off grid , so i would have the money to move overseas.
So Japan is assuming ownership of the Lunar Equator?
I see legal problems with that. Are they planning to share the energy with all nations world wide?
Engineering problem: How will they bridge all those craters?
I put 8kw (39 panels) on the roof of my garage/studio 6 years ago and it was the most satisfying decision I’ve ever made. I was lucky in a couple respects that I had a perfectly tilted southern facing unshaded roof, and my utility was offering an incentive program because they were mandated to become 10% renewable by this year. So yes, I had to write a $19k check from home equity to get the ball rolling, but the system has covered 60% of our annual usage, and paid for itself this year! And it’s SO satisfying to watch that net meter run backwards when the sun is out. Our electric bill goes negative in March, and we pay something during Dec – Feb.
If you are using solar and change lights, appliances ect. To 12 or 24 volt appliances like you would have in a travel trailer, you will not need as many panels, batteries or an inverter. This would also cut down on the wasted power converting 12 volts to 120ac
really/ around the equator of the moon/ hey they don’t the dark side of the moon the dark side of the moon without a reason.
I was just about to say that! Thanks!
THE DECK IS STACKED AGAINST US, WE NEED TO CONSERVE ENERGY, RECLAIM HEAT FROM WATER GOIN DOWN THE DRAIN, USE PASSIVE SOLAR, GEOTHERMAL, HAVE OUR FRIDGE HEAT OUR WATER, USE LED LIGHTS, A WINDMILL SEEMS FAR SUPERIOR TO SOLAR PANELS, EVEN IT CAN BE CONNECTED TO A RESISTER AND USED TO HEAT WATER, 3 PHASE ALTERNATING CURRENT SYSTEMS, CAN MOVE THE ELECTRIC FARTHER THAN THE D.C. SYSTEMS! WE NEED TO DEVELOPE MORE OF TESLA’S INVENTIONS AND CONCEPTS! BIG OIL/ENERGY IS PREVENTING US FROM GETTING BETTER MILEAGE, THEY WEEN US ON 1-2 MORE MPG TO SELL OVERPRICED VEHICLES FOR $30-$50K IN THE NAME OF TECHNOLOGY! OLD VEHICLES SUCH AS THE RABBIT DIESEL, FORD FESTIVA AND GEO METRO GOT DECENT MILEAGE, AND COULD BE CONVERTED TO EVEN MORE EFFICENCY WITH PRE IGNITION CALALYTIC CONVERTORS TO BURN ALL THE FUEL, NOT JUST THE VAPORS, WE’RE GETTIN DUPED AND WE JUST TAKE IT AND FOLLOW ALONG LIKE LITTLE LAMBZ TO THE SLAUGHTER! WAKE UP PEOPLE, THEY GOT US BY THE CAJONES AND KEEP SQUEEZIN THEM JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE US FOLLOW BLINDLY ALONG! WELCOME TO THE GOOD OLE “USSA” “UNINTENDED SOCIALIST STATES OF AMERIKA” DAS VIDANIA COMRADE OBIE!
Sending energy beams to earth reminds me that one of the projects Hitler was working on was a space mirror that once installed could concentrate and reflect the sun’s rays to any area on earth and burn the area to a crisp.
I can’t believe anyone would think that putting a fragile solar cell on any surface, not protected by an atmosphere, would last long enough to be profitable. I’m still looking for the best way to protect home made solar panels from damage for 10 years. The best I have found, so far, is polycarbonate sheet (Lexan), because it is not as fragile as acrylic.
I’m more worried about the word “profitable” when it comes to stuff like this. Surely you realize that if they are successful, it will become illegal for you to capture your own rays, right? Individual solar energy will become illegal so they can rip you another hole for solar energy.
— China — solar — moon — may happen one day but not for probably for 100 years.
—– Using an earth battery for power will come way before China solar moon
But how about Japan? I have not read that China wants to do anything like this. Where are you getting your info about China concerning this idea?
I have looked into solar panels also, on roof and not on roof and here is a list of problems.
1. buying commercial panels with 19% efficiency is to costly for ROI
2. my power company, SO, will ” NOT ” buy electricity from me if : not a member of their green energy club which they will not open for new members, if panels do not have a UL Listing number. Does not matter if I were building panels for a company to sell. Company must do installation.
3. I will not maintain a bank of batteries, cost is to high, my job required maintaining 300 batteries, most people have never seen or been told about 2 gallon glass jar batteries.
4. For me panels on roof is just an added cost for re-roofing my home.
I do have room in yard for 30 4 x 8 panels or more and insurance agent has told me yes they are insured . A new type of solar cell is coming out maybe. This cell will give higher efficiency to each cell if its is not a scam.
If / when I do make / install my own panels, I will probably run new electrical circuits, not tried to grid, all manual controls for safety. Home will be tried to grid until I throw switch.
If you have an a/c unit older than 12 years look into replacing it with new heat pump a/c. My a/c had stopped working kick breaker so I pull off cover on outside unit to look then go to turn breaker back on , as I walked away unit blew up, gas and oil came out big black cloud, oh I was not hurt. So had a 5 ton heat pump installed power bill dropped 40% . Then dryer 5 years old failed replaced with new dryer power bill drop $10. So sometimes new models of quality equipment may drop power bill if replaced.
Someone talked about solar water heater. I have looked at many different models, they all lack one thing, how will this 20 gallon solar water heater give a family of 4 hot water for showers at 8 pm at night ?? Even if only 4 gallons of hot water is used for each shower, #3 and #4 will not be happy. But there is a solution, put a well insulated 50 gallon water tank 5 ft below ground piped to solar water heater. Then circulate water from 50 gallon tank thro solar water heating panel not allowing new water in tank until midnite or 20 gallons is used. This will allow for more than 4 showers at any time and any hot water need for other things
For a portable/movable solar 110 and/or 220 system, check out the above website. The best bang for the buck of the portable solar electric systems.
I bought my first floor condo a while ago, I am wondering if I can use solar panels in my backyard, must you always use a roof? My yard is always very sunny so I figure I could make good use of the sun if possible. Any thoughts?
Yes, you should but check local codes and if you have an HOA, check with them too. I have my solar panels in my back yard on 2 posts and they track the sun east to west.
With me, it would be a toss between solar and garden. A sunny back yard can give you food. Maybe raise the panels up off the ground high enough to use the yard for gardening, but I think the panels would shade the ground a bit. I’d have to go for roof panels.
How do you track the sun? What are you using to track the sun?
I’m Afraid the government will start taxing the solar enery
I worked for the largest solar installer in the world. Personally I do not have solar panels on my home. Here is a short list of why:
* they crack very easily, must be replaced with the same model, often discontinued so the company can make more money when they either fail or break
* you just put a target on your house. Being the only house with power, that is if you have the space and money for huge cadmium batteries, makes you the “go to house” in the neighborhood for supplies and, your solar panels.
* yup, you know it. The tax on them is on it’s way!
* realize that if there is a power outage, your panels will continue to generate power, but you can’t get to it unless you have the battery back up. The panels are wired to the grid, yes, that’s how you get credit on your bill, the extra energy you don’t use gets sold back to the energy companies. So, when you need it the most, you can’t access it as when the grid is damaged, your panels can’t work for you. the electric company will also shut down your area transformer to fix the grid. So you can’t access your energy.
They are messy when placed on rooftops, cause damage to the tiles which cause leaks, can fail for no reason, have short model runs which makes getting back up panels tough or impossible. Forcing you to buy new, another huge investment.
Some things to think about before you drop $50K on your rooftop.
I have personally built several pv panels over the past nine years and they cost less than factorybuilt units however they do not last long , today I buy factory units much cheaper than I can build them , that is a fact — direct from China .
Cant get help to install and money for more panels and batteries
I also have researched the build your own way and have researched having the panels installed. The government had a grant program, but that expired. The initial cost for a commercial company to install can run 30-50000.00 for an average home to have enough power to run month to month. The term for cost effectiveness is 20-30 years. Another cost to consider is that if mother nature comes along and damages your panels, most insurance policies, unless you pay extra, don’t cover them!! I know people who have financed this product, but they also have a long term note, ie you need the credit to do it and the home, ( no renters) I haven’t found it to be cost effective yet. If energy keeps going up then it will probably become cost effective. Large percentage of people can’t afford solar, they live day to day or week to week.
For that kind of money you can buy a used RV and live in it or bug out if you need to and also have something you can enjoy when you take a vacation.
The COST is the #1 factor holding me back. Second is the sheer size and weight of these panels! I’ve heard it takes a CRANE to hoist them up onto one’s roof! So, I’m not comfortable with the idea of something that heavy sitting on my roof. Plus, if my roof needed repairs, I’d incur huge expense of hiring a crane to remove and re-install the panels. I think the technology still has a long ways to go. If they got a lot smaller, lighter, and much, much cheaper, I would definitely go for it!
Sue you do not need a crane. The panels are 4 feet by 8 feet and weigh about the same as a sheet of plywood. If you can afford to start the project I would do so. You can always add more panels later.
I purchased a small solar panel, battery and what goes inbetween about 5 years ago. I can still run power tools, lights and even a heater from the battery for a limited time. Power tools I can run 3 hrs. +, I like solar.
Homeowner’s insurance underwriters also have questions whether or not you have solar panels on your roof.
The cost is prohibitive, but worse than that …the south-facing portion of my roof is irregular in shape and dotted with vent pipes. As a result, I can’t produce enough electricity to power my house at any price. Since I would still be relying on the grid for part of my needs, the cost is ridiculous.
It doesn’t take much roof space for a small system. Maybe you could install enough for emergency power. Also use it when no emergency to save a little every day
What’s keeping us from ‘solar-izing’ our home? Money.
Although there is not enough space to get full solar electricity into your home 0 have a look at solar water heating – most of the electricity bill is in heating water. It can take up a small space and give up to 40% saving in electricity use!
I see a couple of problems with Japan putting solar panels on the moon. First, Japan doesn’t own the moon, so I would like to know how they and the rest of the residents of the world would plan to share the costs and benefits of such a project. Second, I wonder what effect such a massive transfer of energy via laser or microwave would have on our atmosphere and climate.
Regarding solar panels on the roof, I had my house built with that in mind, with the gable ends on the east and west, so one flat side of the roof faces south, at the proper angle for the most solar gain for my latitude. The reason I haven’t done anything with this is the cost. I am watching development of the new solar roof shingles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_shingle
They are definitely something I would want when it is time for re-roofing, or sooner, if they ever become affordable and cost-effective.
That’s a very good point about the potential harmful effect of transmitting that much energy. It’s almost inconceivable that there wouldn’t be enormous undesired effects.
P.S. We had visitors for Virgin Islands where electricity costs over $3/kWh. Everyone there who can find the money for solar panels buys them.
There are a lot of people above who have issues that can be overcome with financing which replacing your electric bill could get you solar and save money.
2 factors that has been holding me back…
– The cost of the panels, batteries, and the rest of the electical components.
– The shear square feet that I would need to generate the power I would need to run my house.
Is it possible to get a government grant that would fund a solar panel project 100%? If so I’d like information about at the email address listed here.
Regards,
George Segrest
There are national grants for reservation land, farmers or HUD funded multi-family homes, however most of us only qualify for the 30% tax credit.
My husband and I have wanted solar energy for our home for a long time. Every once in a while there are power outages so I light candles but the serious side of it is that we have no water when this occurs. We looked into it but have been denied because our home is modular and we can’t afford a stick home.
I have been very interested in Solar panels, but I have been a renter all my life and have no authority to change the house to solar. I have recently purchased a solar charger for my phone for when I move and need to keep a charge on it. I have found some sites that show how to make your own solar panel out of alum. cans. I plan to try this after I get moved. the basic building materials are alim.cans and a frame like an old window. lay the cans in rows and place a window frame over it to contain the heat. Then use a battery to store the power and run wire between the window frame, battery, and the home.There is more work to it but that is the basic.
Sounds like plans for a solar air heater. Useful, but will not power your lamps.
The main stopping point for the average homeowner to have solar electric is the cost. It is almost crippling for the average household. I have looked into the build your own and the components needed to build these units are very expensive and hard to come by.