Power generating and distribution system and method

• US 8,074,936 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David R. Criswell
• Original Assignee: David R. Criswell
• Inventors: Criswell, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Timothy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonzell, Philip J
• Application Number:
  US13/013,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 244/172.7, 244/172.8, 136/244, 136/292, 136/246, 602/81, 60/395.2, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 455/13.4
• US Class Current: 244/172.7
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/428 Power distribution and management
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/4282 for transmitting power to earth or other spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/44 using radiation, e.g. deployable solar arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/27 characterised by the type of receiving antennas, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

A system and method of generating and distributing power includes one or more microwave power transmitters at locations on Earth adjacent natural fuel or power resources such as natural gas, oil, solid fuel, or geothermal energy. The fuel or energy source is converted into electricity on site, and the electricity is then converted into microwave power beams transmitted from the microwave power transmitter towards a redirector satellite in orbit about the Earth. The redirector satellite then sends one or more microwave beams to rectennas located in consumer nations at appropriate sites for feeding the power grid or to additional redirector satellites for directing to rectennas located on the far side of the Earth.

Claims

1. A power distribution system comprising;

a microwave transmitter for transmitting a first microwave power beam to a first redirector satellite in orbit about a celestial body said transmitter having a directional controller for said microwave power beam and having beam focus controller over said microwave power beam,

the first redirector satellite having;

a first microwave receiver;

a microwave to electricity converter that converts the first microwave power beam to satellite electricity;

a needs based satellite electricity allocator that allocates a portion of the satellite electricity for use by the satellite and that allocates the balance of the satellite electricity to a plurality of satellite microwave transmitters;

each of the plurality of satellite microwave transmitters converts the allocated satellite electricity into microwaves and transmits a respective plurality of satellite microwave power beams;

each of said respective satellite microwave transmitters having respective power controllers,

respective microwave beam directional controllers; and

respective microwave beam focus controller;

a plurality of destinations having respective power needs associated with each of the respective plurality of satellite microwave power beams selected from the list;

one or more secondary redirector satellites in orbit around a celestial body,

one or more rectenna receiver stations,

one or more powered vehicles;

each of said destinations having respective rectennas for receiving the satellite microwave power beam and converting it into respective destination electricity.

2. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

said directional control of said microwave power control is a phased array radar system and

said directions control of said respective microwave beam directional control of said respective satellite microwave transmitters is a phased array radar system.

3. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

the wavelength of the microwaves transmitted by each of said microwave transmitters is between 0.3 GHZ and 300 GHz.

4. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

the destinations include one or more secondary redirector satellites

said secondary redirector satellites are in respective orbits about the respective celestial body and generally distributed equally about the celestial body.

5. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

the destinations include one or more terrestrial rectennas and said terrestrial rectennas are distributed remotely from one another about earth.

6. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

the redirector satellite includes one or more lunar redirector satellites

said lunar redirector satellites are in respective orbits about the moon and are generally distributed equally about the moon.

7. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

each of said redirector satellites are identical to one another and wherein each of said satellite rectennas are identical to one another and wherein each of said terrestrial rectennas are identical to one another.

8. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein the respective destinations of each of the satellite microwave transmitters is in the near field of the associated satellite microwave transmitter.

9. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

the secondary redirector satellite includes one or more earth redirector satellites

said earth redirector satellites are in respective orbits about earth and are generally distributed equally about the earth.

10. The power distribution system of claim 1 further comprising an user associated with each destination for using such electricity.

11. The power distribution system of claim 1 further comprising:

an electricity source which is coupled to the microwave transmitter.

12. The power distribution system of claim 11 further comprising;

a source of energy taken from the list;

oil, natural gas, coal, solar power, tidal power, biofuel power, nuclear power, wind power, water damn power and geothermal power

an electricity generator which converts the source of energy into electricity and

a microwave converter which converts the electricity into microwaves.

13. The power distribution system of claim 12, wherein:

the source of energy is less than 1000 miles from the electricity generator,

the electricity generator is less than 1000 miles from the microwave generator, and

the microwave generator is less than 1000 miles from the microwave transmitter.

14. The power distribution system of claim 13, wherein

the source of electricity is oil and wherein the oil source is at least one oil well and wherein electrical generator produces waste gasses and wherein at least a portion of such waste gasses are injected back into said oil well.

15. The power distribution system of claim 1 wherein

the rectenna is flexible for placing at temporary locations and wherein the system further comprising a plurality of power detectors and location detection controllers directed to focusing the microwave power beam onto the temporary locations.

16. The power distribution system of claim 15 wherein the power detectors are located about the edge of the flexible rectenna and a comparator controller which detects the microwave power at such detector and a communication controller which directs the microwave beam directional controller to direct the microwave beam to provide equal power to such detectors.

17. A power distribution system comprising;

an electro magnetic energy (EME) transmitter for transmitting a first EME power beam to a first redirector satellite in orbit about a celestial body said transmitter having directional control of said EME power beam and having beam focus control over said EME power beam,

the first redirector satellite having;

a first EME receiver

a EME converter that converts the received first EME power beam then allocates received power to a plurality of satellite EME transmitters based upon need

each of the plurality of satellite EME transmitters converts the allocated power into EME and transmits a respective plurality of satellite EME power beams

each of said respective satellite EME transmitters having

respective power controllers

respective EME beam directional controllers and

respective EME beam focus controllers

a plurality of destinations each having respective power needs associated with the respective plurality of satellite EME power beams selected from the list;

one or more rectenna receiver stations

one or more secondary redirector satellites about a celestial body

one or more powered vehicles

each of said destinations having respective rectennas for receiving the satellite EME power beam and converting it into respective destination electricity.

18. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein in the destination rectennas are on earth and or are on the moon.

19. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein the celestial body is earth or the moon.

20. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein the powered vehicle is a space transport vehicle or a earth vehicle or a lunar vehicle.

21. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein

the EME is generated from electricity which is generated from an oil of an oil well source and wherein electrical generator produces waste gasses and wherein at least a portion of such waste gasses are injected back into said oil well.

22. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein

the destinations include one or more secondary redirector satellites

said secondary redirector satellites are in respective orbits about earth and generally distributed equally about earth.

23. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein

the destinations include one or more lunar redirector satellites

said lunar redirector satellites are in respective orbits abut the moon and are generally distributed equally about the moon.

24. The power distribution system of claim 17 wherein

each of said redirector satellites are identical to one another and wherein each of said satellite rectennas are identical to one another and wherein each of said terrestrial rectennas are identical to one another.

25. The power distribution System of claim 17 wherein the respective destinations of each of the satellite ENE transmitters is in the near field of the associated satellite EME transmitter.

26. The powered distribution system of claim 17 wherein the EME is microwaves.

27. The power distribution system of claim 26 further comprising;

a source of energy taken from the list;

oil, natural gas, coal, solar power, tidal power, biofuel power, nuclear power, wind power, water damn power and geothermal power

an electricity generator which converts the source of energy into electricity and

a microwave converter which converts the electricity into microwaves.

28. A method of transmitting electrical power comprising the steps of:

converting a source of energy into electricity

converting electricity into a microwave power beam

controlling the direction of said microwave power beam

controlling the pattern of the transmitted power of said microwave power beam

providing at least one redirector satellite in orbit about a celestial body

transmitting said microwave power beam to said redirector satellite

said redirector satellite receiving said microwave power beam and converting it into satellite electricity

allocating said satellite electricity into one portion for meeting the power demands of the satellite and allocating the balance of the satellite electricity to a plurality satellite microwave transmitters based upon the respective need of a plurality of destinations

each of the respective satellite microwave transmitters converting the respective allocation of satellite electricity into respective microwaves and transmitting satellite microwave beams from each of said respective microwaves to the associated destinations

independently controlling the direction of each of said plurality of transmitted satellite microwave beams, independently controlling the beam pattern of each of said plurality of transmitted satellite microwave beams, and independently controlling the power of each of said plurality of transmitted satellite microwave beams

the destinations including at least two terrestrial rectennas, secondary redirector satellites about earth, lunar rectennas, secondary lunar redirector satellites, terrestrial vehicles, lunar vehicles, space transport vehicles

receiving said plurality of transmitted satellite microwave beams at said respective destinations and converting said received microwave beams into electricity.

29. A method for transmitting electrical power of claim 28 further comprising a user using such electricity at each destination.