I agree. This idea is always accompanied by the 'energy beam' idea, which is such an enormous stretch from feasible truth that it hurts. It falls into the same category as the space elevator.
How is using a beam of focused energy in the form of light or radio to transfer energy a myth? We do it every day. It's not the most efficient method, but you do transmit energy every time you submit a comment to Engadget. At one point in the transmission, your signal is turned into light and "beamed" across a transport to another location. Just because that energy is dispersed and the resultant wavelength and modulation is used doesn't mean it couldn't be captured. I'm not talking about pillars of plasma shooting from the skies, but a focused laser beam is a very good and potentially invisible method of transferring energy.
Laser beam of energy. I have a few problems with that. First of all, the efficiency involved in generating high-powered lasers is, well, not striking. Secondly, we are talking serious energy transport here. But hey, I'll ignore efficiencies, fundamental focus problems and scale here. Suppose you use a laser, you have two options: 1) geostationary orbit for the laser. tricky. Aiming is a bitch at that distance. Prepare for some really serious apoligies ('sorry for vaporising your city') 2) low earth orbit for the laser. Helps with focussing. One problem though: your laser station zooms by at Mach 25. Aiming is again a little trickier. Prepare the apoligies again. All in all: even CSI Miami is more credible.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eric @ Apr 12th 2007 8:05AM
I agree. This idea is always accompanied by the 'energy beam' idea, which is such an enormous stretch from feasible truth that it hurts. It falls into the same category as the space elevator.
Andir3.0 @ Apr 12th 2007 8:28AM
How is using a beam of focused energy in the form of light or radio to transfer energy a myth? We do it every day. It's not the most efficient method, but you do transmit energy every time you submit a comment to Engadget. At one point in the transmission, your signal is turned into light and "beamed" across a transport to another location. Just because that energy is dispersed and the resultant wavelength and modulation is used doesn't mean it couldn't be captured. I'm not talking about pillars of plasma shooting from the skies, but a focused laser beam is a very good and potentially invisible method of transferring energy.
Eric @ Apr 12th 2007 3:33PM
Laser beam of energy. I have a few problems with that. First of all, the efficiency involved in generating high-powered lasers is, well, not striking. Secondly, we are talking serious energy transport here. But hey, I'll ignore efficiencies, fundamental focus problems and scale here. Suppose you use a laser, you have two options:
1) geostationary orbit for the laser. tricky. Aiming is a bitch at that distance. Prepare for some really serious apoligies ('sorry for vaporising your city')
2) low earth orbit for the laser. Helps with focussing. One problem though: your laser station zooms by at Mach 25. Aiming is again a little trickier. Prepare the apoligies again.
All in all: even CSI Miami is more credible.