SPACE Canada (Solar Power Alternative for Clean Energy), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of solar energy from space, is sponsoring a dinner at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC 2014), the yearly conference of the National Space Society (NSS).
The dinner will be held on Saturday, May 17 from 7:00-9:30 p.m. PT in the Grand Ballroom at the site of ISDC 2014, the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, 6101 West Century Boulevard. The theme of Saturday evening’s event is “A Space Renaissance Celebration.”
In keeping with SPACE Canada’s mandate to support, encourage and facilitate international dialogue on solar energy from space, John Mankins, President of Artemis Innovation Management Solutions LLC, will deliver the evening’s keynote presentation, “The Case for Space Solar Power.”
Mankins, widely acknowledged as the world’s leading expert on Space Solar Power (SSP), had a 25-year career at NASA. During that time, he led an $800 million per year R&D program and, for many years, was in charge of NASA’s studies on SSP.
Following Mankins to further discuss SSP will be Mark Hopkins, CEO of the National Space Society and former Rand Corporation Economist. Hopkins and Dr. Abdul Kalam, former President of India, are working together to establish an international organization to build SSP.
Space Solar Power uses satellites in space to collect the sun’s energy, which is beamed to receivers on the ground and then fed into the power grid like energy produced by conventional power plants.
Mankins and Hopkins will explain how the first economically viable SSP satellite could be built in less than 20 years, followed in rapid succession by additional profitable satellites. The resulting electricity could be sold at prices below those of competing alternatives such as coal or nuclear. This premise is based on studies completed recently by such prestigious organizations as the International Academy of Astronautics.
“The sun produces 10 trillion times the amount of energy currently consumed by humanity,” said Hopkins. “By harvesting a tiny fraction of this energy via SSP, the energy crises would be over. Humanity would have all of the energy it needs for the foreseeable future. Further, this energy is renewable and extremely green, producing almost no carbon dioxide and thus greatly mitigating the problem of climate change. The Earth’s resources are limited. A successful Space Solar Power program would smash these limits, leading to a prosperous and hopeful future.”
Online registration is currently open for ISDC 2014 with a variety of options, from single day registration passes to full conference registration with meals. Discounts are provided for youth, full-time students, seniors, and members of NASA Federal Credit Union and the National Space Society and its affiliates. Visit isdc2014.nss.org for complete registration details and discount requirements. For registration assistance, call 408-736-2363. For information on NASA Federal Credit Union, visit nasafcu.com.
