What is potential of reflected/concentrated light-solar energy?
Imagine a bunch of mirrors in the sky (maintaining their position from some helium and/or their own solar panels).
Wouldn't this make solar more viable than alternative sources of energy in areas that are commonly regarded as areas where solar isn't a good option - specifically, where there is pretty consistent but not so intense sunlight? Or would the extra work needed of getting the mirrors up there and stay there not be worth the extra energy/resources required?
I'm interested in this because I'm a fan of the work of the economist Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (note that I'm aware of some of the errors of his earlier work, as was he).
Something he wrote about what the difference between what he called 'feasible technologies' and 'viable technologies'. A technology is 'viable' only when it is able to return an energy surplus sufficiently large to maintain its own operation/replacement when it wears out, and some additional energy left over for other use (like building another replacement, so you now have two of these technological devices instead of one). If this criterion is not met, the technology in question is only 'feasible', but not 'viable'. (note that BOTH viable and feasible technologies depend on a steady flow of natural resources for their operation, like fuel and human work.) Under these definitions, the only viable technologies we ever harnessed are fire, the steam engine (using coal, at least), the internal combustion engine (using petroleum, at least), and the nuclear fission reactor (using uranium/similar, at least). What's notable about a viable source of energy is that its' operation alone cannot expand its' use (you'd need another technological/energy/resource/human work system to expand its' operations). In short, only viable technologies can rapidly expand in use from their own operations (with fuel and human work).
Thus, solar power, as of yet, hasn't become a viable technology, which is what I'm interested in here.
Specifically, if you have a solar-powered factory making the stuff you need for the solar-energy-system-of-the-kind-I've-specified-system, could its' operations alone expand its' use - creating an exponential increase of its use (up to a point)?
If the solar energy gets concentrated enough, could this be 'viable'? Or would this concentration of solar light not 'pay for itself' (lead to a net increase in collected solar energy), at least for now?
I'm guessing this system mighty not be done is places like Nevada/Arizona/New Mexico because the payoff of concentration is small because you only get more energy from solar light concentration up to a point? (and it wouldn't be worth it in places where the sunlight is extremely diffuse and/or rarely there due to common cloud cover). But what about places that get pretty consistent sunlight that's somewhat diffuse, light places in the Pacific Northwest.
Please note that I am not talking about how much things 'cost' according to prices in a marketplace/'political' obstacles.
And please keep responses on topic.
Thanks for any helpful input! :)
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