Category: NASA

This recent Space and Things podcast featuring John Mankins is an excellent all-around introduction to space based solar power (SBSP) and its game changing, clean energy potential.

For those who may not be familiar, John C. Mankins is a former NASA physicist known for his ongoing work on space-based solar power. Along with explaining the fundamental of SBSP in easy-to-understand language, Mankins made a point I would like to highlight.

• Unlike nuclear power plants, SBSP will be a switchable baseload power source. SBSP will be able to take the place of natural gas and other fossil fuel fired generation now being used to supplement terrestrial solar and wind power when nighttime or weather interrupt their outputs. The combination of space-based and terrestrial solar power will be a 100% clean, baseload power source.

Mankins also had some astute observations about the most recent NASA report on SBSP, published on January 11, 2024 from the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy.

• Energy for Earth is not one of NASA’s four current missions
• The report has a very reasonable charter at the beginning.
• The analyses contained in the report utilize excellent, rigorous methodologies.
• The report has some extraordinarily reasonable findings and recommendations at the end.
• But … the assumptions that went into that model were weird. The assumptions were unreasonably pessimistic, leading to astronomically high predictions of the cost per kWh from SBSP.
• There is a one-line caveat included in the report that says if all of our assumptions turn out better than we have assumed, the cost of a kWh from SBSP will be about three cents.

Needless to say, you should read the report for yourself (linked above) and come to your own conclusions about its assumptions, charter, analyses, findings, and recommendations. Keep in mind the fact that energy for Earth is not one of NASA’s four current missions.