Japan plans to turn the moon into a solar energy plant

[burnin_vernon]

Cool!

Tokyo-based Shimizu Corp. claims that its proposed “Luna Ring” could generate 13,000 terawatts of energy a year – far exceeding the United States’ 4,500 terawatts produced in 2011 – and eliminate Japan’s dependency on nuclear power, the Daily Telegraph reports

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/11/...g-around-moon/

[Bigtime]

It's finally gonna happen:

[Knut]

Information from a physicist.

http://m.phys.org/news/2013-11-japan...ar-energy.html

Not addressed are the costs and considerable hurdles such a project would have to overcome—foremost among them would be building such a massive structure from such a great distance—nothing like it has ever been attempted. There are also issues of getting the international community to go along with the project and overcoming seemingly simple problems, such as lunar soil disrupting the robots and their construction efforts—not to mention dusting the solar cells once in place.

Sounds like a great concept but there are huge challenges to this.

[SportsJunky]

So it won't be really easy to do?

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

It's finally gonna happen:

Upgrade your account, the suspense is killing me!

[troutman]

The first phase is called Moon Unit Alpha ....

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

Upgrade your account, the suspense is killing me!

Huh?

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Huh?

"Freeservers does not support remote linking of images or files for FREE accounts."

aka...use imgur

[Bigtime]

Whoops! Will fix asap.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by troutman

The first phase is called Moon Unit Alpha ....

Designed by the eminent MIT Professor Doctor Alan Parsons

[Flash Walken]

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Information from a physicist.

http://m.phys.org/news/2013-11-japan...ar-energy.html



Sounds like a great concept but there are huge challenges to this.

Wouldn't think you'd have to dust the cells as there is no wind. Don't they say that the footprints up there are largely undisturbed?

Always wondered about this technology in the future. The scariest part seems getting the energy back to earth. Mircowaves and lasers. Heheh, I'm sure the smart people have a plan, just hard to picture in my mind.

[JonDuke]

Came here for this. Leaving sad because it wasn't already here:

[HOWITZER]

Am I the only one that thought of this thing from Die Another Day?

Spoiler!

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

It's finally gonna happen:

Oh no! The beam has misfired, God help us all!!!

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

So some company in Japan has a half-baked concept that they can't possibly implement, and you interpret that to be "Japan plans to..."?

[FlamesAddiction]

I would love to see something like this in the future.

Almost every amazing technological advance starts with a "half-baked concept".

[Zulu29]

So who determines what is done with the moon? Is it kind of if you can get there do what you want or would they need to get approval from the majority of nations?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Zulu29

So who determines what is done with the moon? Is it kind of if you can get there do what you want or would they need to get approval from the majority of nations?

Or the majority of people who bought property on the moon in real estate schemes

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Or the majority of people who bought property on the moon in real estate schemes

Nah, they all lost their shirts during the economic melt down, CMHC doesn't offer lunar house insurance.