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0 pointsa_crc5y ago0 comments

It's a lot of solar panel. A quick search gives us a figure of 220 watts of power per square meter of space based solar panel. This would mean a 200MW solar collector would need to be almost a million square meters in size. For reference that would be a square the length of 155 NYC city blocks on each side.

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SECProto5y ago

> A quick search gives us a figure of 220 watts of power per square meter of space based solar panel. This would mean a 200MW solar collector would need to be almost a million square meters in size. For reference that would be a square the length of 155 NYC city blocks on each side.

200MW/(220w/m2) gives us an area of 1,000,000m^2, a square 1000m on each side.

(side note: a NYC block isn't a very good length reference - they vary[1] from 250ft to 750ft depending which direction you're measuring. So the square would be 4 to 12 blocks on each side)

[1] https://streeteasy.com/blog/how-many-nyc-blocks-are-in-one-m...

api5y ago

Hmm... or maybe some smaller panels plus a really enormous and very very thin reflective collector for concentrating solar. Keep in mind that things can be very thin in space.

It would still weigh a lot though, and heat would be a major issue. You wouldn't want to melt the solar panels.

This would require someone much more knowledgable to determine if it's feasible.

Edit: I wonder if you'd get some amount of solar sail effect in addition to the plasma rocket? Of course this would help you one way and hurt you the other way.

codeduck5y ago

A million square metres is one square kilometre. It could be built but it would be heavy. A circular sail with a radius of just over 600 metres would do it.

chasd005y ago

wouldn't a million square metered be a megametre and not kilometre?

codeduck5y ago

no. 1000m * 1000m = 1000000m^2 or 1 km^2

jcims5y ago

That's if it's illuminated by the sun. Blast it with a 500MW space-based laser and you'll up the tempo.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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SECProto5y ago

200MW/(220w/m2) gives us an area of 1,000,000m^2, a square 1000m on each side.

(side note: a NYC block isn't a very good length reference - they vary[1] from 250ft to 750ft depending which direction you're measuring. So the square would be 4 to 12 blocks on each side)

[1] https://streeteasy.com/blog/how-many-nyc-blocks-are-in-one-m...

api5y ago

Hmm... or maybe some smaller panels plus a really enormous and very very thin reflective collector for concentrating solar. Keep in mind that things can be very thin in space.

It would still weigh a lot though, and heat would be a major issue. You wouldn't want to melt the solar panels.

This would require someone much more knowledgable to determine if it's feasible.

Edit: I wonder if you'd get some amount of solar sail effect in addition to the plasma rocket? Of course this would help you one way and hurt you the other way.

codeduck5y ago

A million square metres is one square kilometre. It could be built but it would be heavy. A circular sail with a radius of just over 600 metres would do it.

chasd005y ago

wouldn't a million square metered be a megametre and not kilometre?

codeduck5y ago

no. 1000m * 1000m = 1000000m^2 or 1 km^2

jcims5y ago

That's if it's illuminated by the sun. Blast it with a 500MW space-based laser and you'll up the tempo.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse