Russia has just cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, a potential death blow to these nations’ economies. And Russia could easily do the same to Germany, the engine of the economy of Europe.
Meanwhile, the IPCC has issued a report warning that we are missing our targets for a net-zero economy, an economy that ceases to saturate the earth’s atmosphere with the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. We may be missing these targets catastrophically.
Howard Bloom, Chair of the Space Development Steering Committee and co-founder of the Asian Space Technology Summit, says there is a way to solve both of these problems. It’s called space solar power—power harvested in space and transmitted to earth with the kind of harmless radio waves used by your cell phone.
“Space solar power,” says Bloom, “can end the Russian headlock on energy. And it can end global warming.”
“Space solar power is not science fiction, it’s daily reality.” Bloom explains. “We’ve been harvesting solar power in space and transmitting it to earth for 60 years, ever since 1962 when the first commercial satellite—Telstar–was launched. Telstar looked like a beach ball encrusted with medallions. Each of those medallions was a solar panel.”
Continues Bloom, “Today, solar power harvested in space and transmitted to earth is the basis for third of a trillion dollar industry, the telecommunications and satellite observation business.”
Space solar power could make it impossible for a nation like Russia to threaten to kill economies by cutting off fuel supplies.
But that’s not all. Space solar power can give us a net-zero economy. Here’s what Bloom says space solar power can achieve:
· Space solar power can eliminate the use of fossil fuels for energy production and transportation. Totally.
· With this, space solar power can crush the man-made contribution to global warming.
· And, according to Bloom’s late partner in space solar power advocacy, India’s eleventh president, Dr. APJ Kalam, space solar power can lift two billion people out of poverty.
But there’s a catch. Says Bloom, “China intends to own the space solar power industry by 2035. China has had its first space solar power components factory for over three years. If China owns space solar power, it will own the mid-21st century. That is something we cannot tolerate.”
“We are in the space solar power race with a $100 million program funded by the Air Force Research Lab and executed by Northrop Grumman. But secrecy has made it impossible to see if this program is making progress.”
Concludes Bloom, “Space solar power is the green new deal. And if we don’t bring it to daily use, China will.”
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