/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12682743
The same place they said it would go in the 1970s: to Space.
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_solar_power
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercritical_carbon_dioxide#Working_fluid
A solar-thermal concentrator plant in a high sun-synchronous orbit, driving multiple stages of supercritical CO2 turbines (which you use because they're much more compact for the same amount of wattage compared to a steam generator) before terminating in a massive radiator assembly, sending the power down via a diffuse microwave beam would be an extremely attractive model of power plant. One of the major benefits is it works continuously, 24/7, and the ground station to receive it is just an inexpensive rectenna array of wires that you could erect over farmland and not block light from reaching crops.
The downsides are: it will jam some radio frequencies under the beam, and if the ambient temperature rising about 2-3 degrees is a problem you might not want to build your array in that spot.

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