Sps supplement Rough Draft-endi2011 Alpharetta 2011 / Boyce, Doshi, Hermansen, Ma, Pirani
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- Now is key- futures energy crises are more severe Mahan, 07
- US must take the lead in SPS- it’s the “Silver Bullet” Mahan, 07
Warming – Brink EvWarming is speeding up now. Tobiska, Chief Scientist, Space Environment Technologies, AIAA Member, 9 [W. Kent Tobiska; “Vision for Producing Fresh Water Using Space Power”; 2009; http://www.spacewx.com/Docs/SET_SPACE_2009.pdf; Boyce] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports 1 that the trend in the global surface-to-stratosphere temperature is a warming of 0.74°C per century (1906–2005). There has been an escalation in the warming rate over the past 50 years. In that period, the sea level has risen about 150 millimeters (6 inches) and it is continuing to rise at about 3 millimeters (an eighth of an inch) per year 2 . One reason for the acceleration of global warming may be the increase in methane. As the arctic permafrost thaws, more of this gas is released and this amplifies the warming trend. Some of the measureable effects of this temperature rise are melting polar cap ices, rising sea levels, and more severe storms. By 2050, climate change is projected to decrease the annual average river runoff and water availability in the mid-latitude drier regions and the dry tropics while increasing runoff at high latitudes and in some wet tropical areas. What this means for the average person is that many semi-arid and arid areas such as the Mediterranean Basin, western USA, southern Africa, Australia, and northeastern Brazil will likely see a decrease in their water supply. This trend will be contrasted with increased flooding, including during the winter, for northern Europe, central and northern USA, northern China, and the wet tropical regions in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. The IPCC notes that there may be longer-term consequences of climate change than were previously thought. Their report identifies that carbon dioxide is increasingly absorbed into the world’s oceans, which raises their heat content and changes their circulation patterns. The latency, or ocean’s ability to transfer heat out, occurs on time-scales of several hundreds of years and this suggests that climate change will continue on the order of many centuries rather than decades. Since the ocean heat is exchanged with the atmosphere through thermal coupling, there are probable consequences such as an additional rise in sea surface height due to thermal expansion and an intensification of regional climate variability with hot–cold as well as dry–wet extremes due to ocean circulation changes. Now is key- futures energy crises are more severe Mahan, 07 - founder of Citizens for Space Based Solar Power (Rob, SBSP FAQ, based on a Bright Spot Radio interview from December 28th, 2007, http://c-sbsp.org/sbsp-faq/, MA) I see energy independence not as an isolationist concept but as broadened choices of cleaner, more plentiful energy for entire world. The definition of energy independence must also include independence from non-renewable fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas, etc.). Energy independence is so important because it affects several critical areas to our country, such as national security, the economy and the environment. I can remember when gasoline was about 25 cents a gallon in the 1960′s. Today it is often over $3.00 a gallon and crude oil is $100 a barrel. In 1960, the U.S. population was about 180 million and today it is nearly 310 million. There have been several energy crises (increased price or decreased supply) in the U.S. since the 1960′s. The 1973 oil crisis was caused by an OPEC oil export embargo and the 1979 energy crisis was caused by an Iranian revolution. Again in 1990, a spike in the price of oil was caused by the Gulf War. During 2000-2001, a California electricity crisis was caused by failed government deregulation coupled with several instances of business corruption. The most recent oil price increases of 2004-2007 have been caused by increasing demand from the U.S and China, the falling state of the U.S. dollar and stagnation of production due to the war in Iraq. Energy crises of the future will likely be more severe. Energy scarcity will give rise to even more international conflicts in the future. As world population grows, the laws of supply and demand will eventually break when the demand for natural resources exceeds the total capacity of the planet to sustainably supply them. World population is projected to rise from today’s 6.6 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. (United Nations Population Division, 2007). Abundant, affordable energy is required to sustain our most basic needs for clean air, clean water and a safe food supply. President Bush, in the 2006 State of the Union Address said, “America is addicted to oil.” The U.S. currently imports between 50% – 60% of the crude oil we use and we pay between $400 and $500 billion per year for that imported crude oil. This makes us dependent on many who are not necessarily our friends. Threats of price increases or limitations of supply and come from energy cartels (OPEC) or energy superpowers (Iran, Venezuala, etc.). Carbon emission price increases, penalties and pressure to reduce emissions can come from international bodie like the United Nations and its Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Kyoto Protocol (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions) would put significant financial penalties on the U.S. for failing to meet the requirements of the treaty. Our reliance on foreign energy gives others a lever (or a stick) to use against us. Energy independence will give us many more political options when dealing with these external forces. Space-based solar power addresses many of the issues related to energy independence. Nearly every source of energy we use today can be traced back to the Sun, which is a huge nuclear (hydrogen fusion) furnace. Space-based solar power is a potentially unlimited source of clean energy and it could eventually supply all of our country’s needs. Instead of importing vast amounts of fossil fuels, the U.S. could become a major exporter of energy & technology. America can use the platform of energy to once again set an example of what being a good citizen-nation of the world is all about. Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico and former Secretary of Energy (1997-2001), has published his vision for our energy future in a book titled “Leading by Example”. He offers the warning “America is just one crisis away from an energy emergency that will completely disrupt daily life, sharply increase energy prices, and perhaps even lead to military intervention in the world energy markets.” And he also offers hope for our energy future when he states “The American people are full of optimism and ingenuity. The people of the world want to believe that we are responsible and compassionate, that we are committed to freedom and basic fights, and that we want to participate constructively in world affairs. Visionary leadership, and visonary action to implement a new role for the United States, will turn the situation around quickly, and America will find itself surrounded by friends and allies once again.” US must take the lead in SPS- it’s the “Silver Bullet” Mahan, 07 - founder of Citizens for Space Based Solar Power (Rob, SBSP FAQ, based on a Bright Spot Radio interview from December 28th, 2007, http://c-sbsp.org/sbsp-faq/, MA) The development of space-based solar power will help other renewable energy technologies with spin-off technologies in the areas of photovoltaics, exotic materials, manufacturing techniques and many more. Space-based solar power is a long-term solution with huge social and economic potential. It could actually be the game-changing energy technology, the elusive “silver bullet”, that is needed to address many of the energy and environment related problems we face today. Some estimates put space-based solar power at potentially a one trillion dollar a year industry. Here’s a quote from the GA Tech Space Solar Power Workshop: “Escalating tension between our environment and energy choices drove us to search for the best energy choice. That choice is Space Solar Power – the cleanest electricity generation process known. Gathered by satellites in geosynchronous orbit for use on Earth, pure clean energy would be beamed gently to earth. Space Solar Power should become the major source of the world’s energy and electric power to minimize our environmental footprint.” I believe space-based solar power should be the cornerstone technology in our energy future. The United States must take the lead role in it’s development, deployment and management. There is great value in being first to market with any new product, let alone a breakthrough application of technology. 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