Luna Ring: Japan's Solar Moon to Harvest Energy

Of the hundreds of proposals to solve the energy crisis, this might seem the most ambitious one. Japanese construction company Shimizu is proposing its "Luna Ring" to solve the energy problems facing Japan, and ultimately the entire planet, by turning the Moon into a solar power plant.

The plan is to lay a belt of solar panels 350 km wide around the equator of the Moon and send the constant supply of energy to Earth by laser or microwave transmission. It would be capable of sending 13,000 terawatts of power to Earth- The US generated just 4,100 terawatts in 2011. Robots and automated machines will mine the Moon’s natural resources for construction. 

It will stretch 6,800 miles around the equator and ensure constant exposure to the sun – without interference of cloud cover – thus constant transfer of energy to the Earth. The company believes construction work can be done by 2035, but is unwilling to put a cost to the project. The moon can now become earth's energy satellite.

We also recommend watching: "Solar Roadways: Replace Asphalt Roads with Solar Panels" and "IBM: 80% Solar Panel Efficiency Using Supercomputers".

Luna Ring: Japan's Solar Moon to Harvest Energy

Shimizu Corporation is a Japanese, Tokyo based architectural, engineering and general contracting firm, offering an integrated, comprehensive planning, design and build solutions for a broad range of construction and engineering projects worldwide. It has annual sales of approximately US $14 billion and has been widely recognized as one of the top 5 contractors in Japan and among the top 20 in the world.