Poskanzer.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA (11/02/83)
From: Jef Poskanzer <Poskanzer.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA> If that's "the most cogent argument" you've heard against SPS, then let's build it right now, because that argument is bunk. The Earth is currently receiving sunlight at the rate of 1.1e24 ergs/sec. That is ten million gigaWatts. One million rectennas. As far as I know, no-one is planning to build that many in the near future. Let's look at a more reasonable number, say a thousand ten gigaWatt rectennas. How much would this heat up the planet? To raise the temperature of the world's oceans by one degree C takes 5.71e31 ergs. If you consider the atmosphere alone, it takes about a thousand times less: 5.26e28 ergs. In one year, a thousand rectennas would receive 3.15e23 ergs (plus a bit because they are only 90% efficient). Thus in the long run, the temperature of the oceans would rise by about 0.00000001 degrees per year; in the short run, the atmosphere would heat up by 0.00001 degrees per year. Are you still worried? How about a little more thought and a little less flaming. --- Jef