The Cost of Electricity: Setcoin's Model
What would a megawatt-hour from orbit cost, and which inputs matter most?
Chapter summary
about $357 per megawatt-hour in Setcoin's reference case: 10 kg in orbit per kilowatt delivered, launch at $1,000 per kilogram to low orbit with a 2.5× factor for delivery to geostationary orbit, $2 per watt for space hardware, $0.3 per watt for the rectenna, a 95% capacity factor, a 30-year life, an 8% cost of capital and operations at 2% of capital a year.
Key takeaways
- 1
Launch is about $25 of the $27.3 per watt of capital, about 92%.
- 2
At $200 per kilogram, the cost falls to about $95/MWh; with 5 kg/kW and $1/W hardware as well, to about $50/MWh.
- 3
With today's space hardware at about $250/W, it is several thousand dollars per megawatt-hour whatever the launch price.
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Thermal Management: Getting Rid of Waste Heat
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