"Is this thing really as big as you say?"

After reading the slides, Sun Hongtao took off his reading glasses and looked at Zhang Xingyang with some puzzlement.

In the dimly lit room, a screen shows a huge high-altitude solar-powered drone flying over the Cape of Good Hope.

"What the hell is this thing for?"

This problem is not only Sun Lao.

Many people can't help but think about this strange drone when they see it for the first time.

This thing, no matter how you look at it, I think it's a useless technical verification product.

It verifies the high-altitude drone technology and high-efficiency solar energy technology.

"Old Sun, there is a kind of job called tower patrol line, do you know?"

Zhang Xingyang looked at the colorless light reflected by the flexible solar panels on the back of the curtain and said.

As a leader in charge of industrial development, Sun Hongtao has also heard of this.

I don't know much about them, but I know that they work hard.

"In recent years, our country has built a lot of high-voltage transmission lines, and these power lifelines that carry large-scale transmission work will also fail."

Zhang Xingyang's face was sprinkled with a layer of warm white by the light on the curtain:

"In the past, the line patrol work was all carried out by power workers, who had to endure the risk of wind, rain, snow and walking at heights, and sweat on the overhead power lines."

"And with a solar-powered drone that can work 24 hours a day, it can greatly reduce their work intensity."

"The high-definition optical cameras on the drone can monitor the condition of high-voltage power lines at high altitudes day and night."

Sun Hongtao obviously didn't expect drones to be able to use them like this.

However, after Zhang Xingyang's pointing, he thought of more working scenarios of this 24-hour solar drone.

For example, the perennial unmanned border snow-capped mountains, the lack of manpower on the sea patrol, and so on.

In these areas, there is room for high-altitude solar drones to play.

"With today's cameras, you can't see it clearly from such a high height."

Sun Hongtao pointed out a problem that was relatively easy to think of in Zhang Xingyang's imagination.

Nowadays, the common consumer-grade camera pixels are no more than 10 million.

It is difficult to detect the situation on the ground directly through optical cameras from an altitude of 20,000 to 30,000 meters.

"The solar-powered drone used for line patrol will definitely not be the design like the current one." Zhang Xingyang said.

"The current design of drones is more for the purpose of technical verification of solar power generation."

"If it's a patrol drone, it will greatly reduce the solar panels and reduce the wingspan length, so that it can fly at low altitudes at the kilometer level."

After speaking, Zhang Xingyang added:

"None of this is technically a problem!"

At present, this high-altitude solar drone has been built, and more technical indicators are actually prepared for high-altitude power generation and transmission in the future.

It has strengthened the ability to sustain flight at high altitudes, power generation, and so on.

If it is a solar drone for line patrol, it is not necessary to consider the problem of power generation, and it can be made smaller.

"That's a good idea, indeed." Sun Hongtao nodded and said.

"In some special cases, it can also play some special purposes."

"For example, in the event of emergency rescue and disaster relief, emergency communication support services can be provided."

In times of various disasters, communication is a major problem.

Even if there are communication satellites, it usually takes hours for a satellite to change orbit.

For disaster relief, the hours of disaster are the most important time.

If high-altitude drones can provide communication support during this time period, then rescue and disaster relief can be carried out earlier.

"In fact, if our kilometer-level wireless power transmission can be developed." Zhang Xingyang followed Sun Lao's words and said:

"Then in the event of emergency rescue and disaster relief, it can even provide a part of the power to the ground through high-altitude drones."

In the aftermath of a disaster, the supply of electricity is a difficult thing.

This is especially true when large-scale geological disasters occur.

All kinds of tools that are usually relied on have lost their energy supply.

Many volunteers and soldiers who participated in the disaster relief and rescue people could only use the most primitive shovels, pickaxes, and even their own hands to carry out the disaster relief.

At this time, even an electric winch can increase their disaster relief speed.

But the towers have collapsed in the disaster.

Emergency generators can also be thrown aside because they are damaged or lack of fuel.

At this time, if high-altitude solar-powered drones can provide some of the power supply, it will definitely be exciting for people.

"How's your wireless power transmission going?" Sun Hongtao also asked with a little interest at this time.

Before, he had also heard that the Rocket Research Institute had carried out such a cooperation with the local government, after all, the investment amount had reached the level of 10 billion, and it was difficult not to attract attention.

"We hope to complete the 100-meter wireless transmission within two years." Zhang Xingyang said very rigorously.

"Within six years, kilometer-level wireless transmission technology can be overcome."

"How far is it from putting it into practice?" Sun Hongtao is not the first day of contact with technology development.

Naturally, we know that the gap between technological breakthroughs and practical investment is probably even greater than the technology from scratch.

"It depends on what you're applying to?" Zhang Xingyang said.

"Oh?"

"Let's talk about what application scenarios there are."

Zhang Xingyang thought about the application of wireless power transmission in later generations, and said: "Old Sun, now new energy vehicles are an important development direction of the automobile industry. ”

"These are mainly electric vehicles and hydrogen energy vehicles, and we have relatively little development in hydrogen energy. So it's more common to see electric cars. ”

"The biggest flaw of electric vehicles today is the problem of insufficient range, compared with fuel vehicles, the range anxiety of electric vehicles with slow charging is more serious."

"Imagine if the city's main roads were now covered with wireless transmission equipment, so that trams could be charged while driving, that fear would no longer exist."

"It can take our electric vehicle development to the next level."

Zhang Xingyang's words made Sun Hongtao fall into thought.

Although the annual sales of electric vehicles are less than a fraction of that of fuel vehicles.

However, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the development direction of automobiles in the future will definitely be a variety of new energy vehicles.

This matter can be seen with a little brain.

This is not only a requirement for environmental protection, but also a more realistic consideration.

From a hundred years ago to the present, the oil fields under the Dragon Kingdom have basically been surveyed.

Sun Hongtao is well aware that the amount of oil extraction in China is very limited.

In recent years, a large amount of crude oil has to be imported from abroad every year.

Last year, 120 million tons of crude oil were imported, spending more than $30 billion!

In particular, last year, OPEC limited production, which caused oil prices to rise, and compared with the year before, the price per ton of crude oil was at least 15 percent higher!

A large part of the finished products of these crude oil refining, gasoline and diesel, are drunk by cars.

If electric vehicles are developed, they can reduce domestic oil imports, which is a good thing no matter how you look at it.

"That sounds really good."

Sun Hongtao said after thinking for a while.

"In fact, most cities in China are just starting to develop on a large scale, and if we do it now, we will benefit immensely in the future."

Urban planning is actually a very complicated matter.

However, at this time, most people who make decisions about urban development have not yet formed such an awareness.

Most people today would never have imagined that the city they would live in would have millions or tens of millions of people.

This is an extremely complex issue for the whole world.

This has caused all kinds of inconveniences in the city after decades.

Especially the traffic problem.

It was all seeds that were planted at this time.

"In addition to electric vehicles, such as public lighting, wireless power transmission can be used to reduce various relays and transformers."

Zhang Xingyang said immediately after talking about electric vehicles.

"Of course, there are many uses of wireless power transmission, which we need to explore slowly in practice."

"These are all applications for 100-meter wireless power transmission."

"If you can reach the kilometer-level wireless power transmission, then there are more application scenarios."

"But that's at least ten years away."

Sun Hongtao asked with some curiosity at this time: "Then when will your final plan be realized?" ”

The final plan for the wireless transmission project is to build a large space power station in geostationary orbit.

"The final plan involves a lot of aspects, and the time for its realization is not very clear." Zhang Xingyang said.

"For large space power stations, we need to have our own permanent space station, which we are currently five or six years away from."

"In addition to the technical aspects, there are other factors to consider."

Speaking of this, Zhang Xingyang raised his head and looked at Sun Lao with a twinkle in his eyes.

If you want to build a large-scale space power station, you don't just have to face technical problems.

The more difficult part actually comes from other aspects.

Vested interests.

According to Zhang Xingyang's estimates, a large space power station with solar panels spreading an area of tens of square kilometers could generate more electricity in a year than the Three Gorges Dam in its heyday.

Even if the loss of microwave wireless transmission is subtracted, it can be comparable to the annual power generation of the Three Gorges Dam.

More than 100 billion kWh of electricity is generated every year!

Although the country's electricity supply has been in a state of insufficient power for almost all the time, such a large amount of power generation has suddenly appeared.

It will still affect a lot of thermal power plants.

In particular, many coal-fired power stations emit heavy pollution.

It's definitely going to be sent.

These are all issues to be taken into account.

Another point is that the cost of large-scale solar power plants is actually very low.

It's lower than water and electricity, which almost doesn't cost money.

Because of the near-vacuum environment in space, the damage of solar panels is very slow.

All kinds of maintenance costs, except for the high cost of astronauts going up to overhaul the cost, there are almost no other costs.

That is to say, aside from the initial construction cost, once it is put into operation, it can have at least tens of billions of net profits every year.

"What do you mean by that?"

Sun Hongtao frowned and asked, he actually knew what Zhang Xingyang was worried about, but he couldn't say it.

"Domestic issues aside, if we build a space power station, will it arouse opposition from other countries, and even more extremely, what if they directly attack our space power station?"

Mr. Zhang's concerns are not unfounded.

This has indeed been the case in several conflicts in later generations.

Solar power plants in space have been destroyed by missiles and even lasers.

So much so that the solar space power station, which was later launched, was equipped with laser defense weapons as standard in case of enemy missile attacks.

and the core compartment of the power station, which must be wrapped in a high-heat dissipation material to prevent laser attacks.

However, it is not possible to use such means at this time.

Although the outer space development agreement is basically regarded as a piece of paper, no one has ever deployed weapons in space today.

No matter what, Zhang Xingyang can't start this way.

Otherwise, in the future, if a space war starts, it will not become the main culprit.

This pot is too big to carry!

"Is it that serious?" Sun Hongtao has no vision of the future and has not yet realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Elder Sun, you must know that this is not a simple technological update, but an energy revolution!" Zhang Xingyang said.

"The combination of space solar power generation and wireless power transmission is enough to crush the traditional energy giants."

"Especially in countries that rely on traditional fossil fuels for power generation, it will be a catastrophe."

"Their mining, electricity, refining and other industries will go bankrupt because of this!"

"In such a situation, it is not unusual for a desperate person or a country to do anything!"

The situation in the country is actually better, after all, everyone was not rich in the past few years.

The proportion in these aspects is not particularly high.

If it takes ten years and you make adjustments slowly, you can turn it around.

But those countries that have been developing in these areas for hundreds of years since the first industrial revolution.

There's no way to turn around!

There is a saying that if a small ship makes a U-turn, a large ship will be in great difficulty.

Sun Hongtao also gradually understood what the impact Zhang Xingyang was talking about.

Those capital giants with countless oil fields, refineries, and thousands of thermal power stations will not be able to complete the transformation in time.

In this energy revolution, there is probably more to it than going bankrupt.

"This is a war that cannot be seen, but it can change the whole world!"

Zhang Xingyang uttered a famous saying.

"I can't make the decision alone." Sun Hongtao said after thinking about it for a while.

"The impact is so great, we need to discuss it."

Subsequently, Sun Hongtao laughed and said:

"Anyway, we're already leading the way in this area."

"At least, you can have more advantages than others!"

(End of chapter)