Free Web NovelChapter 1310: Chapter 627 A Wild Idea of a Question!_2
"This number is too high!"
Zhao Yi shook his head continuously as he looked at the figures. The design of the Z-wave Generation Satellite was good enough, surrounded by solar panels, maximizing the efficiency of solar energy absorption.
If it were a matter of doubling the amount, it might barely be possible, but increasing it by more than thirteen times was nearly impossible.
By then, the size of the Z-wave satellite could rival a space station, perhaps even surpassing it.
Moreover, as the satellite’s volume and mass increase, the internal circuitry and the energy requirements for the magnetic field would also grow substantially.
The final design of the Z-wave satellite would definitely exceed the space station in size, and its cost would be extremely frightening.
This just isn’t feasible.
Another issue is the charging time; the Z-wave Generation Satellite needs several months to charge.
If a real corridor were established, taking several months to complete a single charge, which would allow a small spacecraft to pass through, the efficiency would be too low.
Of course, if it’s just for a single experiment, time would not be an issue.
Zhao Yi, however, wanted to do it more perfectly, not to create something useful only for a single experimental run.
After all, Yixing Technology is a legitimate company, not an institution dedicated solely to experimentation, and cost considerations must be taken into account, so the power issue must be resolved for any experimental research.
Zhao Yi pondered carefully, knowing that he still had to start from an energy perspective.
Nuclear fusion devices are impossible.
The conversion rate of fossil fuels is too low, and the transportation costs are too exorbitant, equally lacking feasibility.
"Solar power is the only choice," Zhao Yi concluded decisively.
Zhao Yi had some understanding of solar panel technology, having almost fully grasped it while designing the Z-wave Generation Satellite.
Currently, the satellites use monocrystalline silicon panels, the most efficient type of solar panel, with an energy conversion efficiency of over twenty percent.
"If it’s compressed monocrystalline silicon—"
Zhao Yi immediately made several calls, contacting the Z-wave Material Experimental Group, as well as the aerospace bureau and related laboratories, and got an accurate answer.
The Z-wave Material Experimental Group had already compressed monocrystalline silicon.
Fivefold compressed monocrystalline silicon material was used to manufacture solar panels, and the corresponding experimental conclusion was that panels made from compressed monocrystalline silicon had a solar conversion efficiency of over forty percent.
This was an astonishing figure.
Currently, solar panels with the highest technological levels internationally have an energy conversion rate of about twenty-five percent.
Increasing energy conversion efficiency is a difficult task, as any reaction process will result in some energy loss.
Just the reflection of sunlight off the solar panels themselves can waste more than half the energy.
Panels made from compressed monocrystalline silicon material that achieve an energy conversion efficiency of over forty percent can be said to have reached the theoretical limit.
"With a nearly doubled solar conversion efficiency, achieving a power increase of more than thirteen times would still require at least seven times more panels."
"It’s still impossible."
Zhao Yi sighed and shook his head again; he redesigned the Z-wave Generation Satellite and found that at most, he could only increase the number of solar panels by fifty percent, which fell far short of the needed capacity.
Moreover, charging efficiency was another significant problem; a design that allows it to be used only once every few months or even a year would be meaningless.
"If we consider practical value, the power needs to be increased by at least twenty times!"
"This data could barely support completing a charge once every half month."
Zhao Yi thought.
The speed of charging and the power are not proportional because while charging, it is necessary to maintain a strong internal magnetic field, which also consumes a lot of energy; however, the internal energy consumption is fixed.
If the energy conversion power is very high, the extra portion could be used for charging, and the charging speed would increase significantly.
But twenty times, that’s wishful thinking!
Even if solar panels achieved the most ideal one hundred percent energy conversion rate, it would still be completely insufficient—it’s like trying to extinguish a car fire with a cup of water.
"Addressing the issue from the perspective of solar panel power isn’t realistic."
Zhao Yi reached a conclusion.
At this point, the research seemed to have hit a dead end because the amount of solar energy within the same area is fixed. Even if all were converted into electrical energy, there simply wouldn’t be enough to maintain the Z-wave generation satellites needed to establish the navigation channel.
Zhao Yi found it impossible to resolve.
He thought and thought, but still had no idea how to solve the problem.
Solar energy, this too is a dead end!
But solar energy was the only choice, unless he could find some other sustainable energy source in space — which was much more difficult than the former. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The former, for the time being, was a dead road.
The latter—
Finding a new space energy source? That too could only be imagined for the moment.
As Zhao Yi sank into deep thought, Zhang Qican knocked on the door and entered, holding a file that had been organized. It was the research report from the theoretical group.
Zhao Yi took it and asked, "Brother Zhang, can you help me think of a way to convert a limited amount of solar energy into more electrical energy?"
"—?"
Zhang Qican was taken aback. After carefully thinking for a while, he made a suggestion, "What about using some kind of material that reacts with solar energy to release energy?"
"That won’t work."
Zhao Yi shook his head, dismissing the idea. "The efficiency of converting thermal energy to electrical energy is too low, it’s not feasible, and it’s not sustainable."
Solar cell technology is very efficient because the electrons inside silicon materials become more active under solar irradiation, which is a direct conversion of solar energy to electrical energy.
If it is a reaction between fossil materials and sunlight, it will certainly first convert to heat, then the heat will convert to mechanical energy, and finally to electrical energy. The efficiency of that conversion would be greatly reduced. If it could reach five percent, that would be an impressive figure. Moreover, considering fossil energy sources need to be transported to the satellite, the technical difficulty and cost would be very high, making it not feasible at all.
Zhang Qican thought again, then said with a wry smile, "Academician Zhao, your problem is equivalent to ’how can you pour more water from a fixed-size water tank’? How is that possible? I really can’t think of a solution."
Zhao Yi pondered Zhang Qican’s metaphor, finding it to be very apt.
Pour more water from a fixed-size water tank?
He contemplated and said, "Perhaps we could compress the water?"
Zhang Qican was stunned, not expecting to be refuted, and yet the rebuttal made sense. He said with a wry smile, "Indeed, compressing a liquid could allow the tank to hold more, but then the physical properties would also change, right? That’s not what we’re talking about, though."
Zhao Yi also realized the discussion had veered off-topic.
The issue at hand was about solar energy and energy transformation. They surely couldn’t go and compress solar energy.
Zhang Qican thought some more and suggested, "Otherwise, let’s do this: brainstorm and ask more people."
"That’s also true."
As the saying goes, ’Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang, the mastermind.’
Now Zhao Yi realized he had no inspiration at all. The solar energy path had reached its limit, and there were no other paths available. What if consulting others could provide a different inspiration?
That afternoon, he simply called all the department heads together for a meeting and discussed the problem at hand.
The leaders of the various research and development groups were all looking at each other in dismay, finding it surprising that Zhao Yi had a problem they could help solve.
The result?
How to use a limited amount of solar energy to create more energy?
Wasn’t that a fantastical idea!
Of course.
The problem Zhao Yi faced couldn’t be summarized with just that phrase, but essentially, it was nearly the same situation since fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and the like were unusable. Meanwhile, it seemed that the only sustainable energy source in space was solar energy.
In order to find inspiration to solve the problem, Zhao Yi simply established a cash reward, "Whoever can bring me the inspiration to solve this problem, I’ll take the initiative to give out a cash prize of two hundred thousand yuan directly."
The substantial reward immediately filled people with motivation.
Zhao Yi didn’t say ’solve the problem’ but ’the inspiration to solve the problem’. Solving the problem itself would be too difficult, but just the inspiration to solve it?
Perhaps with a stroke of luck, the inspiration might come to light, right?
