In the future, robots on Earth will recharge from space

After being announced in June, the Japanese government (more specifically a Japanese space agency/non-profit organization USEF -  Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer) has confirmed their plans to build a solar-power power plant in space.  USEF has named the project Space Solar Power System or SSPS.  The project has an estimated cost of $21 billion, but with the scope and time frame of this project being so large, the end cost is sure to be much higher.  Luckily, two giants of Japanese industry, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and IHI Corporation, have agreed to join the project and help fund it.

The plan for the orbiting power plant is to power 300,000 homes in Japan.  That doesn't seem like very many homes for such an incredibly expensive project, but if the project is a success the commercial applications will change the landscape of power generation forever.

Everybody (hopefully) understands the need and desire for cleaner energy, and solar power is about as good as it gets.  See the graph below for a CO2 emissions comparison:

Credit: USEF

It's kind of hard to read, but the three options on the far right are the orbiting solar panel.  The CO2 emissions for the final phase of the mission are similar to that of nuclear power.  As the technology grows, the possibilities would exist to expand on the technology and much more than 300,00 homes could be powered.  A Washington Post article speculates that the entire state of California could be powered in this manner.  Plus, with the solar panels in space, the detractors of solar power cannot complain of the "eyesores" of solar panel farms or the fact that solar panels on Earth cannot generate power all day, every day.  Details of the SSPS project can be examined at the USEF Project Servis website.

Credits: USEF

Above is an artist concept of the solar panel power generation satellite in space beaming a signal to Earth containing stored energy.  Below is a concept of the receiving station on Earth.

Credits: USEF

So, this sounds like an ideal solution, right?  When robots are added to the equation, SSPS seems like a terrifying solution to a power problem.   With such a large power generation system in place that can basically work on automation, robots would have the ability to recharge at the SSPS receiving stations at will.  SSPS is also ideal for robots because they it is not dependent on a limited natural resource.  That is of course dependent on whether or not any natural resources still remain when the robots turn on their human masters.

Does this mean that the only way to combat a robot army fueling itself with solar power from space is the black out the sky?  That idea is almost identical to the idea in the movie The Matrix, and although that was fiction, it sure didn't work well for humans.  While we probably won't be farmed and used as batteries for robots (hopefully), the SSPS could spell disaster for mankind by providing near limitless power for our new robot overlords.

A test satellite is planned for a 2015 launch, with a commercially viable system possibly available 15-20 years later.

::from Inhabit & USEF::