Believelander Says Trans Rights
@says-rights.bsky.social
My ferret is Sif. He/Him.
But even with all these crazy efficiency boosts, batteries are now so cheap, safe, reliable, and efficient that this tech will never be economically feasible unless we develop, like, fusion torches to launch stuff into space way cheaper or space elevators.
December 14, 2025 at 11:38 AM
But even with all these crazy efficiency boosts, batteries are now so cheap, safe, reliable, and efficient that this tech will never be economically feasible unless we develop, like, fusion torches to launch stuff into space way cheaper or space elevators.
4. Since your space panels are only a tiny cost of the project overall, can use highly expensive panels that are 20-30% more efficient than we use on Earth
5. Dirt cheap ultra thin film reflectors could be unfurled to focus even more light on the array
5. Dirt cheap ultra thin film reflectors could be unfurled to focus even more light on the array
December 14, 2025 at 11:36 AM
4. Since your space panels are only a tiny cost of the project overall, can use highly expensive panels that are 20-30% more efficient than we use on Earth
5. Dirt cheap ultra thin film reflectors could be unfurled to focus even more light on the array
5. Dirt cheap ultra thin film reflectors could be unfurled to focus even more light on the array
2. Constant ~1340 w/m^2 sunlight vs. peak ~1000-1100 Earth side. Combined with (1) a GEO panel gets 6x more light per day than even geographically optimal Earthbound panels
3. Potentially much lower operating temps which can make panels more efficient
3. Potentially much lower operating temps which can make panels more efficient
December 14, 2025 at 11:33 AM
2. Constant ~1340 w/m^2 sunlight vs. peak ~1000-1100 Earth side. Combined with (1) a GEO panel gets 6x more light per day than even geographically optimal Earthbound panels
3. Potentially much lower operating temps which can make panels more efficient
3. Potentially much lower operating temps which can make panels more efficient
Probably about 3 with a laser system - mostly due to laser loss and 10-20% atmo attenuation. Your panels do get several massive efficiency boosts vs ground-based panels though:
1. Near 100% uptime as GEO sats spend less than 1% of their time in Earth's shadow
1. Near 100% uptime as GEO sats spend less than 1% of their time in Earth's shadow
December 14, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Probably about 3 with a laser system - mostly due to laser loss and 10-20% atmo attenuation. Your panels do get several massive efficiency boosts vs ground-based panels though:
1. Near 100% uptime as GEO sats spend less than 1% of their time in Earth's shadow
1. Near 100% uptime as GEO sats spend less than 1% of their time in Earth's shadow
That's without even looking at the enormous environmental cost of launching thousands to millions of tons of infrastructure into space on chemical rockets
December 14, 2025 at 11:19 AM
That's without even looking at the enormous environmental cost of launching thousands to millions of tons of infrastructure into space on chemical rockets
The problem is battery storage that can store excess power and dispatch it at night is now so cheap that solar/wind+batteries are cheaper than any fossil fuels - and will likely halve in price again within a few years. Spaceborne solar power won't be able to financially compete with batteries.
December 14, 2025 at 11:16 AM
The problem is battery storage that can store excess power and dispatch it at night is now so cheap that solar/wind+batteries are cheaper than any fossil fuels - and will likely halve in price again within a few years. Spaceborne solar power won't be able to financially compete with batteries.
Tbf, this has been explored periodically since the 60s. And 3-4 years ago, it was believable that it could maybe have a purpose and economic feasibility. But LFP battery prices happened. And now CATL is promising sodium batteries that will allegedly be a quarter the cost of those rock-bottom prices.
December 14, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Tbf, this has been explored periodically since the 60s. And 3-4 years ago, it was believable that it could maybe have a purpose and economic feasibility. But LFP battery prices happened. And now CATL is promising sodium batteries that will allegedly be a quarter the cost of those rock-bottom prices.
The main problem with all these startups is they have absolutely no path to economic feasibility until/unless we someday have spaceborne industry. The costs of launching this stuff would be astronomical vs. the now dirt-cheap cost of battery storage on Earth.
December 14, 2025 at 10:50 AM
The main problem with all these startups is they have absolutely no path to economic feasibility until/unless we someday have spaceborne industry. The costs of launching this stuff would be astronomical vs. the now dirt-cheap cost of battery storage on Earth.
I mean, not really because to deliver useful solar power, these various tech ideas only need to be able to beam down concentrations as little as a few hundred watts per square meter spread over quite large areas (huge dishes or solar panel farms). This is feasible engineering and totally harmless
December 14, 2025 at 10:47 AM
I mean, not really because to deliver useful solar power, these various tech ideas only need to be able to beam down concentrations as little as a few hundred watts per square meter spread over quite large areas (huge dishes or solar panel farms). This is feasible engineering and totally harmless
This is ignoring 10%+ losses from atmospheric attenuation. The system would be gargantuan. A LEO system could be a lot smaller, maybe even practical, but it's not hard for major powers to build missiles that can shoot down stuff in LEO.
It's PROBABLY not in any way being developed as a weapon
It's PROBABLY not in any way being developed as a weapon
December 14, 2025 at 10:44 AM
This is ignoring 10%+ losses from atmospheric attenuation. The system would be gargantuan. A LEO system could be a lot smaller, maybe even practical, but it's not hard for major powers to build missiles that can shoot down stuff in LEO.
It's PROBABLY not in any way being developed as a weapon
It's PROBABLY not in any way being developed as a weapon
Power needed to put out 50+ kW/m^2 to rapidly ignite combustible material or cause serious skin burns across a 10m diameter (~80m^2 area) would be 4000kW (4 megawatts). Extremely efficient lasers achieve ~40% efficiency so the input power is ~10MW. You'd need to thermally manage 6MW waste heat, too.
December 14, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Power needed to put out 50+ kW/m^2 to rapidly ignite combustible material or cause serious skin burns across a 10m diameter (~80m^2 area) would be 4000kW (4 megawatts). Extremely efficient lasers achieve ~40% efficiency so the input power is ~10MW. You'd need to thermally manage 6MW waste heat, too.
FWIW, this would be comically impractical as a space laser. The military may be speculating on the research, but to hit a spot 10 meters in diameter on Earth from GEO, the optic lens of the laser would need to be like 15+ meters in diameter. The Saturn V rocket from Apollo was 10 meters in diameter.
December 14, 2025 at 10:21 AM
FWIW, this would be comically impractical as a space laser. The military may be speculating on the research, but to hit a spot 10 meters in diameter on Earth from GEO, the optic lens of the laser would need to be like 15+ meters in diameter. The Saturn V rocket from Apollo was 10 meters in diameter.
Sadly for all of these space beam startups, the cost of adding batteries to solar/wind has fallen so much in 3 years that none of these ideas have a practical future path to economic feasibility. But great for us on Earth!
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
How cheap is battery storage? | Ember
The latest capex and Levelised Cost of Storage (LCOS) for large, long-duration utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) across global markets outside China and the US
ember-energy.org
December 14, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Sadly for all of these space beam startups, the cost of adding batteries to solar/wind has fallen so much in 3 years that none of these ideas have a practical future path to economic feasibility. But great for us on Earth!
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
This means the satellites are always "up" in areas where the sky is still lit, so they dont significantly add to light pollution, and they don't require special groundside infrastructure or spaceside lasers to "beam" light as they are just mirrors. And the orbit is lower, thus cheaper launches.
December 14, 2025 at 9:59 AM
This means the satellites are always "up" in areas where the sky is still lit, so they dont significantly add to light pollution, and they don't require special groundside infrastructure or spaceside lasers to "beam" light as they are just mirrors. And the orbit is lower, thus cheaper launches.
There is a much more compelling version of this wackadoodle idea involving reflectors in a lower polar orbit that makes them follow the day-night terminator line and focus light on existing groundside solar farms to dramatically extend their production near dawn and dusk
December 14, 2025 at 9:56 AM
There is a much more compelling version of this wackadoodle idea involving reflectors in a lower polar orbit that makes them follow the day-night terminator line and focus light on existing groundside solar farms to dramatically extend their production near dawn and dusk
This isn't exactly new stuff. This admin is just less shy about it
December 14, 2025 at 9:49 AM
This isn't exactly new stuff. This admin is just less shy about it
When someone with leftist iconography hits the level of "I should have thought before I posted" you hit there, it makes me believe a little more the CIA is paying people to sit around and act online like caricatures of what conservatives and liberals think leftists are like
December 14, 2025 at 2:36 AM
When someone with leftist iconography hits the level of "I should have thought before I posted" you hit there, it makes me believe a little more the CIA is paying people to sit around and act online like caricatures of what conservatives and liberals think leftists are like
TBH I just uninstalled Linux from my server
December 14, 2025 at 2:32 AM
TBH I just uninstalled Linux from my server
Highly intrigued by that one chili there, and thinking how lonely it looks
December 14, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Highly intrigued by that one chili there, and thinking how lonely it looks
Couldn't be me, uncritical support to all trans kids, mine or otherwise
December 13, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Couldn't be me, uncritical support to all trans kids, mine or otherwise
I'm gonna say it: nope
December 13, 2025 at 5:18 AM
I'm gonna say it: nope
But libraries smell like *commoners* and *taxation*
December 13, 2025 at 4:42 AM
But libraries smell like *commoners* and *taxation*
I mean. This seems normal. How else would you be able to know what he would say?
December 12, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I mean. This seems normal. How else would you be able to know what he would say?