Of course they are. Nearly every advantage is enjoyed by solar farms over terrestrial ones.
Light intensity for one, 9X what we get on the ground.
Control over exposure is another - ever heard of the periodic eclipse we suffer from down here? Half of every day? Called 'night'? You can circumvent that out there.
Structures on the ground cost more than the panels, now. That equation changes in zero gravity. Maybe you don't need any structures at all! Just a tether to generate a moment to control orientation etc.
Lift costs have changed geometrically since the last study - panels an order of magnitude lighter; cost per pound to orbit an order cheaper. That's a no-brainer now.
Not least of all, the cost of land only grows. Especially near cities, in cities. Nobody trying to charge for orbital real estate, not yet anyway.
Previous studies on this were done by folks with an axe to grind - they didn't want solar to be seen as a competitor to traditional energy. Everything was deliberately misrepresented to slant the conclusion.
> Called 'night'? You can circumvent that out there.
Unless they are in a weird orbit, they will have also light only half of the time.
Also, the advantage of terrestrial solar farms is that you can ship the energy to people or factories with a bunch of wires. From a espacial one, it's a problem. The only application for a lot of energy up there is mining Bitcoins, that avoid the shipping problem.
Light intensity for one, 9X what we get on the ground.
Control over exposure is another - ever heard of the periodic eclipse we suffer from down here? Half of every day? Called 'night'? You can circumvent that out there.
Structures on the ground cost more than the panels, now. That equation changes in zero gravity. Maybe you don't need any structures at all! Just a tether to generate a moment to control orientation etc.
Lift costs have changed geometrically since the last study - panels an order of magnitude lighter; cost per pound to orbit an order cheaper. That's a no-brainer now.
Not least of all, the cost of land only grows. Especially near cities, in cities. Nobody trying to charge for orbital real estate, not yet anyway.
Previous studies on this were done by folks with an axe to grind - they didn't want solar to be seen as a competitor to traditional energy. Everything was deliberately misrepresented to slant the conclusion.