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EEVblog 1637: Solar Freakin’ Space Mirrors! – Reflect Orbital DEBUNKED
Reflect Orbital wants to put reflecting mirrors in space to sell sunlight to solar farms after dark. The numbers work out exactly as you expect them to. It’s Solar Freakin’ Space Mirror time!
https://www.reflectorbital.com/
BenNBuilds balloon test video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUNCtDTIZc
First Principles interview with Ben Nowack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDV3v0Xb4ow
S3 Interview video with Reflect Orbital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BcDoDs89rc
S3 2nd interview with Ben Nowack & Tristan Semmelhack : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmC-u-fXueA
Space.com article: https://www.space.com/orbiting-mirror-boost-solar-power-production
ClimateCapital investment: https://www.climatecapital.co/portfolio
Understanding the Duck Curve: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65023.pdf
Real time US energy price tracker: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/real-time-electricity-tracker
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1537-solar-freakin-space-mirrors-reflect-orbital-debunked/
00:00 – Reflect Orbital, Sunlight After Dark
01:18 – Ben Nowack from BenNBuilds Youtube channel & the balloon test
02:55 – Sun synchronous polar orbit reflecting mirror satellites
03:54 – A look at the website claims, a 5km sunlight spot for 4 minutes
05:58 – This isn’t new, the Russians did it with the Znamya 2, albeit unintentionally
06:56 – Who’s behind Reflect Orbital?
08:12 – What is the Duck Curve?
09:31 – CLAIM: A 10m x 10m satellite mylar reflector into a 12U Cubesat
10:09 – CLAIM: 10’s to 100’s if BILLIONS of dollar per year revenue!
10:35 – CLAIM: $50/MWh energy sale price after dark
11:18 – CLAIM: $175k/year revenue from each satellite & launch costs
11:58 – CLAIM: 200W/sqm? Err, in what universe?
12:24 – DaveCAD calculations
13:10 – 100kW maximum capture is reduced by the tilt angle
14:05 – 5mW/sqm. FIVE MILLIWATTS! Is this a JOKE?
14:50 – But WAIT, what if you combine and focus all the satellites?
16:02 – It gets WORSE! Capacity Factor is a problem.
18:14 – 20MWh/year WOW!, that’s a lot, right? Right?
19:22 – Even 20MWh/year become ZERO if it consumes more than it produces!
20:09 – How did nobody do a back-of-the-envelope calculation?
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By David L. Jones
4.6
7979 ratings
Reflect Orbital wants to put reflecting mirrors in space to sell sunlight to solar farms after dark. The numbers work out exactly as you expect them to. It’s Solar Freakin’ Space Mirror time!
https://www.reflectorbital.com/
BenNBuilds balloon test video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUNCtDTIZc
First Principles interview with Ben Nowack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDV3v0Xb4ow
S3 Interview video with Reflect Orbital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BcDoDs89rc
S3 2nd interview with Ben Nowack & Tristan Semmelhack : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmC-u-fXueA
Space.com article: https://www.space.com/orbiting-mirror-boost-solar-power-production
ClimateCapital investment: https://www.climatecapital.co/portfolio
Understanding the Duck Curve: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65023.pdf
Real time US energy price tracker: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/real-time-electricity-tracker
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1537-solar-freakin-space-mirrors-reflect-orbital-debunked/
00:00 – Reflect Orbital, Sunlight After Dark
01:18 – Ben Nowack from BenNBuilds Youtube channel & the balloon test
02:55 – Sun synchronous polar orbit reflecting mirror satellites
03:54 – A look at the website claims, a 5km sunlight spot for 4 minutes
05:58 – This isn’t new, the Russians did it with the Znamya 2, albeit unintentionally
06:56 – Who’s behind Reflect Orbital?
08:12 – What is the Duck Curve?
09:31 – CLAIM: A 10m x 10m satellite mylar reflector into a 12U Cubesat
10:09 – CLAIM: 10’s to 100’s if BILLIONS of dollar per year revenue!
10:35 – CLAIM: $50/MWh energy sale price after dark
11:18 – CLAIM: $175k/year revenue from each satellite & launch costs
11:58 – CLAIM: 200W/sqm? Err, in what universe?
12:24 – DaveCAD calculations
13:10 – 100kW maximum capture is reduced by the tilt angle
14:05 – 5mW/sqm. FIVE MILLIWATTS! Is this a JOKE?
14:50 – But WAIT, what if you combine and focus all the satellites?
16:02 – It gets WORSE! Capacity Factor is a problem.
18:14 – 20MWh/year WOW!, that’s a lot, right? Right?
19:22 – Even 20MWh/year become ZERO if it consumes more than it produces!
20:09 – How did nobody do a back-of-the-envelope calculation?
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