Luna solar plans, solar ring to beam energy back to earth  

It’s April Fool’s day and a lot of solar conscious folk may be on the look-out for the most ridiculous story going around. A story about a “Luna Ring” made up of solar panels that circumnavigate the moon and beam electricity back to earth has arisen, albeit from a few years ago, and although we are very skeptical we offer their case here for your consideration.

It’s worth pointing out that although this has all the hallmarks of a prank, there is a 12 page, fairly well produced pdf outlining the proposal and the story has popped up a number of times – none of which align with April 1st. Snopes.com also comes up with nothing and there’s a semi-credible account of the plan here.

We are still calling it science fiction, but invite you to make up your own mind.

In a win for the “co-existance of man and nature” (really?) Tokyo-based Shimizu Corporation have proposed the construction of a belt of solar panels on the surface of the moon with the purpose of transmitting renewable energy back to earth.

With constant exposure to the sun, the belt could generate electricity twenty-four hours a day, and transmit up to 13,000 terrawatts of electricity back to earth from the “near side” using microwave and laser technology, focusing energy beams back to receptors on the surface of the earth.

(Why we would collect energy on the moon and beam it back when the sun hits plenty of our own planet’s surface should be a big red flag.)

When the near side of the moon is shaded the electricity would be conducted via electrical cables to the dark side of the moon and transmitted. On earth the energy would be utilised or converted into Hydrogen to be used as fuel.

(Ok, sure.)

A timeline for the project predicts by 2020 pilot demonstrations will illustrate a proof of concept, 2030 will see the project open up for commercial investment for construction to begin by 2035.