Recent content by charlesrwest

Hey @bostjan ! 1. Fair, though it looks like there might be some higher efficiency solid state lasers nowadays. I've seen claims of 40%. 2. I didn't know that (thank you!) Apparently the commonly used space solar cells are around 30% efficient, so that's probably the number to use. Upon...

@RedCowboy : I agree with the solar except for the night issue. There are a very small number of places (high up and on the poles) that get sunlight most of the time. Nuclear could work, but the dev time and political concerns tend to be killer. Might make commercialization difficult. I...

@bostjan: Thank you for replying! To address the raised issues: 1. I've heard diode lasers can reach efficiencies of 40-50% while solid state is more like 10-20%. If the divergence can be made small enough, diodes are obviously preferable. 2. If you know you are going to be receiving a...

Hello! I'm a laser newbie, but I'm looking into the feasibility of building a laser solar power satellite to help power stuff on the Moon. I'm trying to figure out if you could build a 200-2000 kg package that would be able to deliver meaningful amounts of power to a target on the Moon, such...