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Beam It Down, Scotty: The Regulatory Framework for Space‐Based Solar Power
Author(s) -
Ernst Deliana
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
review of european, comparative and international environmental law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.37
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 2050-0394
pISSN - 2050-0386
DOI - 10.1111/reel.12041
Subject(s) - liability , space (punctuation) , power (physics) , political science , frame (networking) , law and economics , solar energy , business , law , engineering , electrical engineering , telecommunications , economics , physics , computer science , quantum mechanics , operating system
The idea of collecting solar energy in space and beaming this energy to Earth has been around since the late 1960s. Based on existing technologies, space solar power ( SSP ) could become an economically viable alternative to today's commercial energy sources within the next thirty years. This article describes the legal environment for SSP and examines whether the current available legal tools are sufficient to protect the interest of both SSP operators and the public. It examines the international regulatory framework, E uropean U nion law and the national legal regimes of the U nited S tates and C hina – both major players in space and both having SSP ambitions. It concludes that one of the main legal challenges will be how to frame liability, from the perspective of both the operator and the public. The article provides suggestions on how to frame liability for SSP .