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PV in outer space

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Mike Payne

Jan 1, 1970
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Does PV work better in space then it does on the ground or worse? It seems
like it would be very cold but get a lot more sunlight. Just curious since
they use it on satelites all the time.
 
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Anthony Matonak

Jan 1, 1970
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Mike said:
Does PV work better in space then it does on the ground or worse? It seems
like it would be very cold but get a lot more sunlight. Just curious since
they use it on satelites all the time.

PV works better in space. First, there is no night in space
except for the occasional times the satellite may pass through
the Earths shadow. Second, there is no atmosphere to block any
of the sunlight. I'm not entirely sure, but the PV cells may
actually run cooler in space and the colder they are, the better
they work.

As a matter of fact, many people are proposing solar power
satellites with huge PV arrays (miles across) which would beam
power to the ground in the form of microwaves.

Anthony
 
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Antipodean Bucket Farmer

Jan 1, 1970
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Does PV work better in space then it does on the ground or worse? It seems
like it would be very cold but get a lot more sunlight. Just curious since
they use it on satelites all the time.


My understanding is that photovoltaic panels work better when
cold. And, yes, they get better light in orbit, without the
filtering of regular air, along with pollution and shading.

OTOH, lifting stuff into space is very expensive. That is why
satellites have very expensive type of panels. Paying a lot for
a very efficient panel costs less than paying even more to send a
less efficient one. That is because the end-users are thinking
in terms of dollars-per-kilo.

Another factor is the alternatives. Batteries that weren't
solar-charged would run down, and need expensive replacement.
And nu-cu-ler powered satellites would be dangerous, difficult to
get permits for, and generally unpopular. I recall reading of an
incident in the 1980s, where a nuke-powered Russian spy satellite
crashed, strewing debris accross northern Canada. Which was very
contentious and expensive for the clean-up (the Russians paid.)
 
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Antipodean Bucket Farmer

Jan 1, 1970
0
PV works better in space. First, there is no night in space
except for the occasional times the satellite may pass through
the Earths shadow. Second, there is no atmosphere to block any
of the sunlight. I'm not entirely sure, but the PV cells may
actually run cooler in space and the colder they are, the better
they work.


Yes, everything is much colder in orbit. Supposedly, the Skylab
astronauts were impressed by the visual beauty of the sight when
waste-liquid nozzles discharged, with the discharge instantly
freezing into ice droplets. By, "waste-liquid nozzles," I mean
the flusher mechanism for their toilet.
 
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Brian Graham

Jan 1, 1970
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Ah, but the microwaves will destroy any asteroid that tries to hit the Earth. Its our best defense!
The solar pwer satellites beaming energy back to earth with microwaves
ignores the hazards of microwaves being beamed to earth.

even if beamed to antenna farms in sparsely populated areas wildlife
and others would be effected. might cause a mutant cancer that could
kill millions
 
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Gordon reeder

Jan 1, 1970
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When the solar panel passes into shadow
it becomes very cold indeed, and must be designed to withstand a great
deal of thermal shock and expansion.

And as i recall this was one of the problems with
the Hubble Space Telescope (Overshadowed by it's
optical problems). As the telescope passed from
light to dark, it's solar cell arrays would alternatly
heat and cool. The thermal expansion and contraction
caused vibrations that made the alredy bad images
worst. Part of the Upgrade was to replace the solar
panals.
 
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BD

Jan 1, 1970
0
Duh....
No one's said anything about vaccuum...
Google around a bit for what the 'average' temperature out there is,
Solar....

Solar Flare said:
You mean evacuated tube solar collectors will never get warm because
of the vaccuum around them?

I doubt it.


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Richard P.

Jan 1, 1970
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FYI, that Soviet spy satellite was Cosmos 954 and it crashed in the
Northwest Territory in January 1978. Only approximately 1% of the most
dangerous material was recovered. The Soviets were presented with a $15
million dollar clean up bill for which they only paid half and did not want
the debris back. Surprisingly, at least they acknolowledged its existence
and warned the West of its impending re-entry.

I have also read somewhere about the Mariner space mission to Mercury in the
1960's, the solar panels on it only had to be about half the "normal" size
due to the intensity of the solar radiation in that proximity to the Sun.
One thing about PV's in space, the thermal shock they receive from going in
and out of the Earth's shadow is supposedly really hard on them. Also all
the exotic radiation they receive further erodes them. PV's in space don't
last decades like they do here on Earth.
 
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