https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13780917/california-startup-reflect-orbital-sunlight-solar-power.html

A California startup wants to boost the world’s power production by effectively ‘selling sunset’ after dark with solar panels to create daylight on demand.

Reflect Orbital aims to reflect the sun’s rays over solar panels on the earth’s surface well after it’s gone dark. Stunning video footage shows how the tech could illuminate the night sky with the reflected light.

—-

This seems like a silly idea and it is hard to think of a circumstance where this would be the cheapest way to light an area but also that video is completely misleading.

The light reflected from the mirror would be at a bare minimum spread over an area of 10 sqkm.

The biggest mirror array in space is on Webb, with are area of 25 sqm.

So … one of these boys can give you an average illumination of about 2.5 microsuns. It will be brighter in the centre so let us say 6 microsuns at peak. This is about as bright as the light from the full moon … about 0.6 lux.

If you had ten of these then at 6 lux you’re about as bright as the start of nautical twilight. You can do some activities but it is not as bright as shown in the video.

And a satellite of that size isn’t cheap to build, launch or operate. Obv not expensive as the Webb which is a precision instrument rather than a flat mirror, but let’s say you get the unit price to 1B, and ten is enough to provide nautical-twilight-start brightness, and “the cost of money” is 10% per annum, then you’ll need to ask at least $100000 for an hour.

Wonder how satellite solar microwave beam power is doing.

Ian said:

Wonder how satellite solar microwave beam power is doing.

It is, as they say, a solution in search of a problem

Ian said:

Wonder how satellite solar microwave beam power is doing.

It keeps misfiring and scorching my city and the citizens won’t stop rioting.

dv said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13780917/california-startup-reflect-orbital-sunlight-solar-power.html

A California startup wants to boost the world’s power production by effectively ‘selling sunset’ after dark with solar panels to create daylight on demand.

Reflect Orbital aims to reflect the sun’s rays over solar panels on the earth’s surface well after it’s gone dark. Stunning video footage shows how the tech could illuminate the night sky with the reflected light.

—-

This seems like a silly idea and it is hard to think of a circumstance where this would be the cheapest way to light an area but also that video is completely misleading.

The light reflected from the mirror would be at a bare minimum spread over an area of 10 sqkm.

The biggest mirror array in space is on Webb, with are area of 25 sqm.

So … one of these boys can give you an average illumination of about 2.5 microsuns. It will be brighter in the centre so let us say 6 microsuns at peak. This is about as bright as the light from the full moon … about 0.6 lux.

If you had ten of these then at 6 lux you’re about as bright as the start of nautical twilight. You can do some activities but it is not as bright as shown in the video.

And a satellite of that size isn’t cheap to build, launch or operate. Obv not expensive as the Webb which is a precision instrument rather than a flat mirror, but let’s say you get the unit price to 1B, and ten is enough to provide nautical-twilight-start brightness, and “the cost of money” is 10% per annum, then you’ll need to ask at least $100000 for an hour.

Don’t we have something called lights

Witty Rejoinder said:

Ian said:

Wonder how satellite solar microwave beam power is doing.

It keeps misfiring and scorching my city and the citizens won’t stop rioting.

Kim Stanley Robinson books had something similar I think to warm up Mars

Cymek said:

dv said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13780917/california-startup-reflect-orbital-sunlight-solar-power.html

A California startup wants to boost the world’s power production by effectively ‘selling sunset’ after dark with solar panels to create daylight on demand.

Reflect Orbital aims to reflect the sun’s rays over solar panels on the earth’s surface well after it’s gone dark. Stunning video footage shows how the tech could illuminate the night sky with the reflected light.

—-

This seems like a silly idea and it is hard to think of a circumstance where this would be the cheapest way to light an area but also that video is completely misleading.

The light reflected from the mirror would be at a bare minimum spread over an area of 10 sqkm.

The biggest mirror array in space is on Webb, with are area of 25 sqm.

So … one of these boys can give you an average illumination of about 2.5 microsuns. It will be brighter in the centre so let us say 6 microsuns at peak. This is about as bright as the light from the full moon … about 0.6 lux.

If you had ten of these then at 6 lux you’re about as bright as the start of nautical twilight. You can do some activities but it is not as bright as shown in the video.

And a satellite of that size isn’t cheap to build, launch or operate. Obv not expensive as the Webb which is a precision instrument rather than a flat mirror, but let’s say you get the unit price to 1B, and ten is enough to provide nautical-twilight-start brightness, and “the cost of money” is 10% per annum, then you’ll need to ask at least $100000 for an hour.

Don’t we have something called lights

We do Cymek but that isn’t what it was about.
Still it might make more sense to light up an area than try to focus it on solar panels and hope they can generate power.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Ian said:

Wonder how satellite solar microwave beam power is doing.

It keeps misfiring and scorching my city and the citizens won’t stop rioting.

:)

dv said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13780917/california-startup-reflect-orbital-sunlight-solar-power.html

A California startup wants to boost the world’s power production by effectively ‘selling sunset’ after dark with solar panels to create daylight on demand.

Reflect Orbital aims to reflect the sun’s rays over solar panels on the earth’s surface well after it’s gone dark. Stunning video footage shows how the tech could illuminate the night sky with the reflected light.

—-

This seems like a silly idea and it is hard to think of a circumstance where this would be the cheapest way to light an area but also that video is completely misleading.

The light reflected from the mirror would be at a bare minimum spread over an area of 10 sqkm.

The biggest mirror array in space is on Webb, with are area of 25 sqm.

So … one of these boys can give you an average illumination of about 2.5 microsuns. It will be brighter in the centre so let us say 6 microsuns at peak. This is about as bright as the light from the full moon … about 0.6 lux.

If you had ten of these then at 6 lux you’re about as bright as the start of nautical twilight. You can do some activities but it is not as bright as shown in the video.

And a satellite of that size isn’t cheap to build, launch or operate. Obv not expensive as the Webb which is a precision instrument rather than a flat mirror, but let’s say you get the unit price to 1B, and ten is enough to provide nautical-twilight-start brightness, and “the cost of money” is 10% per annum, then you’ll need to ask at least $100000 for an hour.

Is this the latest iteration of mirrors to burn ships?

Cymek said:

dv said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13780917/california-startup-reflect-orbital-sunlight-solar-power.html

A California startup wants to boost the world’s power production by effectively ‘selling sunset’ after dark with solar panels to create daylight on demand.

Reflect Orbital aims to reflect the sun’s rays over solar panels on the earth’s surface well after it’s gone dark. Stunning video footage shows how the tech could illuminate the night sky with the reflected light.

—-

This seems like a silly idea and it is hard to think of a circumstance where this would be the cheapest way to light an area but also that video is completely misleading.

The light reflected from the mirror would be at a bare minimum spread over an area of 10 sqkm.

The biggest mirror array in space is on Webb, with are area of 25 sqm.

So … one of these boys can give you an average illumination of about 2.5 microsuns. It will be brighter in the centre so let us say 6 microsuns at peak. This is about as bright as the light from the full moon … about 0.6 lux.

If you had ten of these then at 6 lux you’re about as bright as the start of nautical twilight. You can do some activities but it is not as bright as shown in the video.

And a satellite of that size isn’t cheap to build, launch or operate. Obv not expensive as the Webb which is a precision instrument rather than a flat mirror, but let’s say you get the unit price to 1B, and ten is enough to provide nautical-twilight-start brightness, and “the cost of money” is 10% per annum, then you’ll need to ask at least $100000 for an hour.

Don’t we have something called lights

We sure do. It is easy to imagine that hiring a genset and some LED stadium lights would cost less than 100000 per hour.

Cymek said:

We do Cymek but that isn’t what it was about.

Yeah it is. Check out their website. They are offering this as a lighting service among other things. You can book it now!

we suppose the name sun cable is already trade marked