SOLAR POWER SATELLITE SYSTEMS AND ISSUES - CHAPTER VIII: ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Authors not listed · 1981
A 1981 government draft found that quantifiable health and environmental impacts of a Solar Power Satellite system would be no more severe than other large-scale electricity-generating technologies, but many key effects remained unknown.
Plain English Summary
This 1981 Office of Technology Assessment draft chapter outlined the environmental and health impacts of proposed Solar Power Satellite systems, focusing on the reference system. The chapter identified the biological effects of electromagnetic radiation, atmospheric effects of electromagnetic radiation and launch effluents, and land requirements for ground-based receivers as the most significant concerns. Preliminary assessments indicated that quantifiable impacts would be no more severe than those of other large-scale electricity-generating technologies, and that in the case of coal, SPS would be an order of magnitude cleaner.
Why This Matters
Microwave transmission effects on the ionosphere were a central concern, with experiments during the DOE assessment showing that heating occurs in the lower ionosphere but that effects on tested telecommunications systems were not serious. Some researchers suggested that the proposed power density of 23 mW/cm2 could be doubled without significant impact to telecommunications in the lower ionosphere, but more research was called for to determine the threshold. Knowledge of upper ionosphere heating was described as less advanced, with theoretical scaling models considered very uncertain. The chapter noted that bioeffects research could influence the choice of transmission frequency, which in turn could determine hardware design and land use.
Show BibTeX
@article{solar_power_satellite_systems_and_issues_chapter_viii_environment_and_health_g4626,
author = {Unknown},
title = {SOLAR POWER SATELLITE SYSTEMS AND ISSUES - CHAPTER VIII: ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH},
year = {1981},
}