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Earth's energy needs could be supplied on the Moon. Although this may sound quixotic, physics says it's feasible, and it could be economically viable. All of the needed technology exists, plus new developments are continuously making a lunar option more viable. Indeed, if harvested on a large scale, power from the Moon could even turn out economically favourable over Earth-based solar power.

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Research from the Qian Xuesen Laboratory of Space Technology in China shows that solar power generated on the Moon can supply future lunar bases, with plenty of energy to spare. Silicon dioxide, comprising a large component of the lunar rocks and dust, can be turned into glass for such a solar thermal system. The same lunar materials can also be converted into photovoltaic (PV) cells.

Another benefit is there is no weather or wind on the Moon. Consequently, PV cells could be constructed from lunar dust fairly easily, making it possible to build lunar-based solar power (LSP), not merely to support a few dozen people in a lunar base but to support the entire Earth. And how would we transfer the power from the Moon to Earth? Microwave beams – the old, well-developed technology that underlies radar, and is in your trusty microwave oven.

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The idea for LSP came from Dr David Criswell, a physicist tasked to find uses for the lunar materials during Nasa's Apollo missions in the early 1970s. The Aerospace Fellowship of Criswell's Institute for Space Systems Operations supported astrobiology and space medicine work at the University of Houston in the early 2000s. Criswell has championed the idea for more than four decades to policy makers, inside and outside of the US Congress, yet we hear much less about LSP than we do space-based solar power.

Elon Musk offered a scathing critique of the latter four years ago because it would consist of a network of gargantuan satellites in geosynchronous orbit, thereby costing more to lift into space than it would pay off in energy. Space solar platforms would also shed enough debris to endanger spacecraft, yet here in the Pacific Northwest the Boeing Corporation constantly throws us adverts with a vision of space solar as the prime energy source in the year 2116.


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By contrast, LSP would depend on small, cheap satellites to relay the microwave beams between the Moon and receiving stations on Earth, which would turn the beams into electricity. Microwaves penetrate clouds with little energy loss and could be relayed to receivers on Earth's night side as easily as the dayside meaning power generation would be 24-7, rain or shine, sleet or snow.

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Recently, Shimizu Corporation in Japan picked up Criswell's idea. In fact, Shimizu believes LSP is such a good idea that its developing the Luna Ring - a system of PV arrays that would circle the lunar equator meaning half the ring would always get sunlight.

To fill just small fractions of the electrical grid, Criswell's economical assessment shows Earth-based PV cells and Earth-based solar thermal would be cheaper. However, scaling up to supply the 20-22 terawatts (TW) civilisation is set to consume by mid-century, the economics flips. LSP becomes significantly cheaper compared with Earth, and that's largely because Earth-based arrays must be heavy and thick to endure weather, whereas lunar PV cells can be tissue thin. As far as launch costs go, it's minimised by sending robots that use lunar materials to build more robots and other equipment on the Moon, which then construct the PV cell arrays, microwave transmitters, and other components.

And the finances don't just work for wealthy nations that might build an LSP power grid. According to Criswell's calculations, developing nations would be able to buy into LSP at a cost cheaper per megawatt than building coal fire power plants – so long as LSP develops on a global scale. The system could be reprogrammed to send beams to new receiving stations as needed.


Alongside Japan's efforts in LSP, China is looking into mining the Moon for helium-3 for nuclear fusion. The fusion reaction that's used the most in research, considered the easiest fusion to achieve, combines deuterium (hydrogen-2) and tritium (hydrogen-3). Fusing them generates high-speed neutrons that are hard to contain, so they take away energy. Using helium-3 instead of tritium could enable "aneutronic" fusion reactors, which should be practical as power plants sooner than tritium reactors. Russian and India were already eying our closest celestial neighbor for helium-3 several years ago.

Research in these countries is not moving at warp speed to be sure, but they seem to value our natural satellite as a potential energy source. It's time for the rest of us to join them.

David Warmflash is an astrobiologist, physician and science writer. Follow @CosmicEvolution to read what he is saying on Twitter.