Still reeling from the March, 2011 Fukushima earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Japanese company Shimizu is looking to the skies to solve the world's energy needs, now and for the future.
Shimizu has put forth the Luna Ring Concept, which calls for the manufacture of an army of lunar robots to bulldoze and otherwise level out an almost 250 mile wide strip of land on the moon's equator and place solar panels across it.
Pretty epic of an idea, huh? Considering that over 30% of Japan's power is generated by nuclear reactors like those destroyed in Fukushima, it's understandable that they are seeking a less precarious and more permanent solution to our (and their) energy needs.
When completed, Luna Ring would beam its generated power down to the Earth to an array of land- and sea-based receivers, which would then distribute the over 13,000 terrawatts to nations participating in the project.
Consider this: According to Discovery News, the United States' total power creation during the long, hot air-conditioned summer months is just one tenth of that number.
The project would require a smaller assemblage of human overseers and engineers to both live on the moon and control machinery remotely from Earth. Previously, Shimizu has proposed pyramid shaped lunar hotels and tourist hotspots, which would dovetail nicely with the needs of the round-the-clock workforce.
You can read more about the project from blogs across Technorati:
Geekosystem: Japan Wants To Solve The Energy Crisis With A Solar Power Plant On The Moon
IBTimes: Japanese Company Proposes Giant Solar Panel Belt Around Moon To Solve Energy Problems
Grist: Let’s source all of Earth’s energy from moon-based solar panels
Gizmag: Shimizu's Luna Ring to beam solar energy from the Moon
Images courtesy Shimizu Corporation.
via Technology articles at Technorati http://feeds09.technorati.com/~r/tr-technology/~3/Ud9LY7ixE5M/