Space Solar Power: Environmental Questionsand Future Studies

Many environmental issues surrounding space solar power (SSP), with impacts and benefits to the environment, must be addressed. The environmental issues surrounding SSP affect factors such as people, landscape, equipment, and pollution, including physical safety for people and for equipment, social questions connected with aesthetics, politics, and economics, as well as the more general issues of global change and sustainability of energy supply. Wireless power transmission is a key component of SSP systems, and the Grand Bassin wireless power transmission project, currently under development in La Réunion (France), will be a valuable test site for many environmental issues. The facility will allow one to study the environmental integration of the facility, which is the No. 1 priority of the project, and the actual effects of an operational microwave power beam.