Article

2019-11-20 Science & Technology

Secretive energy startup backed by Bill Gates achieves solar breakthrough

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Posted by Skidmark 2019-11-20 00:00|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 Much more useful say on the moon where you could use it to process metals

Heat metal to gas
Ionise
Accelerate it some direction
Use moons gravity to pull elements down to concentrate based on atomic weight

Basically a mining version of a mass spec.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2019-11-20 07:32|| 2019-11-20 07:32|| Front Page Top

#2 How much power?

Posted by gorb 2019-11-20 08:50|| 2019-11-20 08:50|| Front Page Top

#3 This technology, which uses mirrors to reflect the sun to a single point, is not new.

Much more useful say on the moon where you could use it to process metals

Or slagging Orbital Debris

Posted by Skidmark 2019-11-20 09:15|| 2019-11-20 09:15|| Front Page Top

#4 ...or this one?

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-11-20 09:17|| 2019-11-20 09:17|| Front Page Top

#5 John Ringo is ecstatic.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-11-20 09:27|| 2019-11-20 09:27|| Front Page Top

#6 So that's one major cause of global warming?

Ban mirrored solar collectors!

Posted by Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2019-11-20 10:19|| 2019-11-20 10:19|| Front Page Top

#7 Concur w/ #5. I just re-read the 'Troy Rising" series, again. I hope there is a fourth book. Also went back through all the Aldenata series, which also needs another volume.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2019-11-20 10:50|| 2019-11-20 10:50|| Front Page Top

#8 Aldenata became a franchise.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-11-20 11:48|| 2019-11-20 11:48|| Front Page Top

#9 Getting up to temperature is one thing, producing enough continuous heat to melt a ton of iron is quite another. I suspect this process only works between the hours of 10 and 3 on a sunny day, and not at all at night.

Was reading the other day about Liberty ship production during WWII, something that was critical to the war effort. Imagine the reaction you'd get saying "Sorry, boss. We got to shut down production. Sun went behind a cloud."

Posted by SteveS 2019-11-20 13:31|| 2019-11-20 13:31|| Front Page Top

#10 #7 Tried his trilogy in Correia's Monster Hunter Universe?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-11-20 15:27|| 2019-11-20 15:27|| Front Page Top

#11 Yes. And his Kildar series.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2019-11-20 15:52|| 2019-11-20 15:52|| Front Page Top

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