[geeks] [rescue] Computerfests (was: first real server hardware) -OT

[Brian Dunbar]

On Apr 28, 2004, at 12:26 PM, wa2egp at att.net wrote:

>> On Apr 28, 2004, at 8:39 AM, wa2egp at att.net wrote:
>>
>>>> You could, but solar is tough to manage in real time.  You'd need 
>>>> some
>>>> sort of intermediate storage.  Hydrogen fuel cell maybe?  You could
>>>> use an array of mirrored parabolic dishes to focus sunlight onto
>>>> a boiler or something... but again it would only work when the sun 
>>>> is
>>>> shining and if it clouded up your boiler would cool off and you'd
>>>> have to heat it up all over again.
>>>
>>> If that means you can't get when you want it, then store what you 
>>> get.
>>> If you get enough plants, you'll always have "excess".
>>
>> I saw a proposal to use microwaves or lasers to beam power from solar
>> powered satellites to heat a boiler which would then generate
>> electricity.  I'm not sure if this would be 'better' or 'worse' than
>> simply beaming the same power to a rectenna or solar array for
>> collection.
>
> I'd worry about aiming.  "Oh no! We just cooked Des Moines!"  (Yes, I 
> know
> the beam would not be that narrow but perception makes the difference.)

So build deadman failsafes into the laser/microwave; the beam can't 
operate unless the aiming parameters are within a reasonable tolerance. 
  More, force it into a reset where the operator _must_ review and do a 
manual reset / review and perhaps have a supervisor sign off on the 
operation before it can be turned back on.

And it still wouldn't help the perception issue, I know.

~brian