Difference between revisions of "Power for Settlements"

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==Power for Lunar Settlements==
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Here are some considerations for the power systems used in our lunar settlement stories.
 
Here are some considerations for the power systems used in our lunar settlement stories.
  
===Solar Power===
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The first small scale bases on the Moon will either use [[Solar Power]] or [[Nuclear Power]] (or both).
  
====Solar Panels on the Lunar Surface====
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==Solar Power==
  
An attractive source for power on the Moon is the Sun.
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This topic is discussed in detail on the [[Solar Power]] page.
  
However most of the moon suffers from 14 day periods of darkness when no solar power could be generated.
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==Dumping Heat==
  
Solar is particularly inviting in the polar regions where mountain tops are available that have solar views 75% to 99% of the time. The sun light is not diminished by an atmosphere and is never blocked by clouds.  It is harsh and unrelenting.
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One of the hardest things to do on the Moon is to get rid of large amounts of waste heat.  In any power generation system you must have both a source power and a sink for waste heat.  This is basic thermodynamics and there is no way out of this requirement. 
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Most space missions simply dump waste heat to deep space.  On the surface of the Moon, this is not so simple.  Half of your view is exposed to the cold of deep space, with
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the other half occupied by the Moon itself which is radiating at a moderately high temperature during the daytime.
  
From the surface of the Moon, the Sun appears to move slowly across the sky making a full cycle every 29 daysOn rare occasions it is eclipsed by the Earth for a few minutes.
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As per spacecraft, shades will be needed to prevent the exposure to the hot spot Sun and a warm spot Earth.   
  
At the poles, the Sun simply circles the sky very near the horizon.  At its lowest point it may be blocked by mountain topsOther times it may be blocked by local instillations such as other power collectors.
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At the pole the average lunar surface temperature will be around 0 C and does not change drastically during the dayHere simple heat radiators can be used as they only need to avoid exposure to a slow moving Sun.
  
Near the lunar equator, the Sun is visible only one half the time.  The 14 day lunar nights are a major problem for power generation and are a major factor in setting a polar location for the first lunar settlement.
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At the equator there is a completely different story.  The surface of the Moon rises to about 200 C by mid lunar day.  It will be very difficult to dump waste heat at this time, so it will be difficult to keep the living areas cool and do major industrial operations.  Equatorial housing may need to be buried extra deep for thermal reasons.
  
Solar power can be captured either by focusing it on a target with a mirror or by using photovoltaic arrays.  Either way, the tracking requirement is very easy compared to Earth.
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==Power Storage==
  
====Solar Power Satellite Rectennas====
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===Flywheels===
  
Beaming power from [[Solar Power Satellites]] to the Moon is a very attractive option.  The Lunar [[L-1]] [[Lagrange Location]]  is the best place to put an initial [[solar power satellites|solar power satellite]] demonstrator. We can place the [[rectenna]] on the Moon and the solar PV arrays at L-1. The distance from L-1 to the Moon (50,000 km) is similar to the distance from GEO to Earth (40,000 km), so it will validate the engineering design well, and prove that useful power can be beamed over that distance. This is also the cheapest way to deliver large scale power to the lunar surface, as rectennas are light weight and PV cells area heavy. Soft landing hardware on the Moon from Earth is very expensive.
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See [[Flywheel]].
  
It also solves the problem of night time power, the power can be beamed to the rectenna continuously, including during the lunar night time.
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===Big Battery Power===
  
===Dumping Heat===
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Batteries are used for power storage, they are  not  a primary source of power.
  
One of the hardest things to do on the Moon is get rid of large amounts of waste heatIn any power generation system you must have both a source power and a sink for waste heat.  This is basic thermodynamics and there is no way out of this requirement.
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There are at least three separate technologies promising a times-ten improvement in rechargeable batteries currently demonstrated in the laboratoryThey are all based on some version of the super capacitorThe value of such a battery for electric cars on Earth alone will be in the hundreds of billionsThe only problem is developing mass production techniques.  The race is on.
Most space missions simply dump waste heat to deep space.  On the surface of the Moon, this is not so simpleHalf of your view is exposed to the cold of deep space, with the complication of a hot spot Sun and a warm spot Earth.  The other have of your views sees the surface of the Moon itself.  At the pole the average lunar surface temperature will be around 0 C and does not change drastically during the dayHere simple hear radiators can be used as they only need to avoid exposure to a slow moving Sun.
 
 
 
At the equator there is a completely different story.  The surface of the Moon raises to about 200 C by mid lunar day.  It will be very difficult to dump waste heat at this time, so it will be difficult to keep the living areas cool and do major industrial operations.  Equatorial housing may need to be buried extra deep for thermal reasons.
 
  
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By the time of our stories, it is reasonable to expect really good batteries will be available for use in space.  These will give a lunar rover a range of at least 500 kilometers.  They will also be able to power reasonable amounts of electronics and modest life support equipment through a 14 Earth day lunar night.  They will not allow large industrial operations for this length of time.
  
===Big Battery Power===
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===Solar Thermal===
  
There are at least three separate technologies promising a times-ten improvement in rechargeable batteries currently demonstrated in the laboratory. They are all based on some version of the super capacitor.  The value of such a battery for electric cars on Earth alone will be in the hundreds of billions.  The only problem is developing mass production techniques.  The race is on.
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Heat energy collected from the Sun could be stored via molten salts in insulated containers and made available throughout the Lunar night. Salts in a molten state holds tremendous amount of energy which could be converted to both mechanical and electrical power through the use of a steam turbine or Stirling cycle engine.
  
By the time of our stories, it is reasonable to expect really good batteries will be available for use in space.  These will give a lunar rover a range of at least 500 kilometers.  They will also be able to power reasonable amounts of electronics and modest life support equipment through a 14 Earth day lunar night.  They will not allow large industrial operations for this length of time.
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Reflectors, salts and insulating containers could all be fabricated from materials on Luna, requiring little or no supplies to be shipped from Earth.  
  
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==Nuclear Power==
  
===Nuclear Power===
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Two common type of nuclear power, [[Nuclear Fission|nuclear fission]] reactors, or [[RTG]]s.
  
During early stages of lunar exploration, some instruments can be powered by Radioisotope Power Generators (RPG).  These devices provide only about 100 watts and are difficult to come by.  The short lived radioisotopes needed to make them are manufactured at only a few places on Earth and only in small amounts.
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During early stages of lunar exploration, some instruments can be powered by [[Radioisotope Thermal Generators]] ([[RTG]]).  The [[radioisotopes]] needed to make them are manufactured at only a few places on Earth and only in small amounts.
  
In the long term it may be necessary to establish small nuclear power stations on the Moon, particularly in non-polar locations.  These will mainly provide power during the long lunar night.  Their daylight operation will be limited by their ability to dump waste heat.  They will be expensive to build and difficult to maintain.
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In the longer term it may be useful to establish small [[Nuclear Power|nuclear power]] stations on the Moon, particularly in non-polar locations.  These will mainly provide power during the long [[lunar night]].  Their daylight operation will be limited by their ability to dump [[Lunar Radiator|waste heat]].  They will be expensive to build.    [[Solar Power Satellites|SPS]] [[rectennas]] would probably be cheaper for larger power requirements.
  
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There has been a suggestion that Low Energy Nuclear Reactions [http://futureinnovation.larc.nasa.gov/view/articles/futurism/bushnell/low-energy-nuclear-reactions.html LENR] could be a solution to energy problems on the moon and on Earth.  If this technology develops confirmed positive results, use on the moon would be enhanced if the necessary elements are found to be common in regolith.
  
===Story Power===
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==Story Power==
  
In our stories, solar will be the major power source.  RPGs can be used for small science stations.  Big batteries may be used for electronics and life support.
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In our stories, solar will be the major power source.  RTGs can be used for small science stations.  Big batteries may be used for electronics and life support.
  
 
Stories set some what farther in the future, may have nuclear power stations.  It is reasonable to assume that if Helium 3 from the Moon is an important element of Earth side power generation, then small safe lunar nuclear power plants are a likely possibility.
 
Stories set some what farther in the future, may have nuclear power stations.  It is reasonable to assume that if Helium 3 from the Moon is an important element of Earth side power generation, then small safe lunar nuclear power plants are a likely possibility.
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==External Links==
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*[http://climateprogress.org/2009/04/23/arizona-csp-solar-thermal-storage/ Solar Thermal Energy Storage]
  
 
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[[Category:Stories]]
 
[[Category:Stories]]
 
[[Category:Architecture]]
 
[[Category:Architecture]]
[[Category:Life Support (Power Supply)]]
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[[Category:Power Supply]]

Revision as of 07:57, 23 February 2013

It is requested that a fork of this article be installed to Scientifiction.org.



Here are some considerations for the power systems used in our lunar settlement stories.

The first small scale bases on the Moon will either use Solar Power or Nuclear Power (or both).

Solar Power

This topic is discussed in detail on the Solar Power page.

Dumping Heat

One of the hardest things to do on the Moon is to get rid of large amounts of waste heat. In any power generation system you must have both a source power and a sink for waste heat. This is basic thermodynamics and there is no way out of this requirement. Most space missions simply dump waste heat to deep space. On the surface of the Moon, this is not so simple. Half of your view is exposed to the cold of deep space, with the other half occupied by the Moon itself which is radiating at a moderately high temperature during the daytime.

As per spacecraft, shades will be needed to prevent the exposure to the hot spot Sun and a warm spot Earth.

At the pole the average lunar surface temperature will be around 0 C and does not change drastically during the day. Here simple heat radiators can be used as they only need to avoid exposure to a slow moving Sun.

At the equator there is a completely different story. The surface of the Moon rises to about 200 C by mid lunar day. It will be very difficult to dump waste heat at this time, so it will be difficult to keep the living areas cool and do major industrial operations. Equatorial housing may need to be buried extra deep for thermal reasons.

Power Storage

Flywheels

See Flywheel.

Big Battery Power

Batteries are used for power storage, they are not a primary source of power.

There are at least three separate technologies promising a times-ten improvement in rechargeable batteries currently demonstrated in the laboratory. They are all based on some version of the super capacitor. The value of such a battery for electric cars on Earth alone will be in the hundreds of billions. The only problem is developing mass production techniques. The race is on.

By the time of our stories, it is reasonable to expect really good batteries will be available for use in space. These will give a lunar rover a range of at least 500 kilometers. They will also be able to power reasonable amounts of electronics and modest life support equipment through a 14 Earth day lunar night. They will not allow large industrial operations for this length of time.

Solar Thermal

Heat energy collected from the Sun could be stored via molten salts in insulated containers and made available throughout the Lunar night. Salts in a molten state holds tremendous amount of energy which could be converted to both mechanical and electrical power through the use of a steam turbine or Stirling cycle engine.

Reflectors, salts and insulating containers could all be fabricated from materials on Luna, requiring little or no supplies to be shipped from Earth.

Nuclear Power

Two common type of nuclear power, nuclear fission reactors, or RTGs.

During early stages of lunar exploration, some instruments can be powered by Radioisotope Thermal Generators (RTG). The radioisotopes needed to make them are manufactured at only a few places on Earth and only in small amounts.

In the longer term it may be useful to establish small nuclear power stations on the Moon, particularly in non-polar locations. These will mainly provide power during the long lunar night. Their daylight operation will be limited by their ability to dump waste heat. They will be expensive to build. SPS rectennas would probably be cheaper for larger power requirements.

There has been a suggestion that Low Energy Nuclear Reactions LENR could be a solution to energy problems on the moon and on Earth. If this technology develops confirmed positive results, use on the moon would be enhanced if the necessary elements are found to be common in regolith.

Story Power

In our stories, solar will be the major power source. RTGs can be used for small science stations. Big batteries may be used for electronics and life support.

Stories set some what farther in the future, may have nuclear power stations. It is reasonable to assume that if Helium 3 from the Moon is an important element of Earth side power generation, then small safe lunar nuclear power plants are a likely possibility.

External Links