Spacey way to reduce solar warming?

Question

Could we put a big mirror or an asteroid or something in front of the earth to block some of the sunlight that hits us?

Answer 1

We could.  All we have to do is put a little motor on an asteroid already in orbit and slowly move it into position.  You would have to put it at a Lagrange point to keep it stable in one osition.  Alternatively, you could put it in an eccentric orbit or use the small motor to hold it in place (hovering as it were).  We just would need to decide how much to block.

We could even mine the asteroid for ores and things we need for space exploration but that's another thing entirely.

This is all speculative though as it's not feasible right now.

Answer 2

no. it would be to expensive and we dont have the tech yet.

Answer 3

We don't need to do anything that exotic.  We can achieve the goals with the technology we have now, and that which is to come.

Solar and Wind energy together could provide the bulk of our energy needs.  Geothermal and other alternatives will contribute.  Fossil fuel will provide back up as it is gradually phased out.

Not too gradually I hope.

Photovoltaics will be a grid parity with fossil fuel power plants in a few years.  Solar thermal power plants provide inexpensive electricity already.

So does wind.  

"Nanosolar’s founder and chief executive, Martin Roscheisen, claims to be the first solar panel manufacturer to be able to profitably sell solar panels for less than $1 a watt. That is the price at which solar energy becomes less expensive than coal.

“With a $1-per-watt panel,” he said, “it is possible to build $2-per-watt systems.

According to the Energy Department, building a new coal plant costs about $2.1 a watt, plus the cost of fuel and emissions, he said."

http://www.grinzo.com/energy/index.php/c...

Scientific American  A Solar Grand Plan

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-so...

Shows how we could achieve a 69% solar electric grid by 2050

"Solar energy is the great leveler (unlike oil, which has been the great divider) between the haves and the have nots). No one owns the sun. It can't be drilled or mined or tied up in financial derivatives. It is the only energy source in the world that is primarily free at its source and universally available to consumers. And the closer a nation is situated towards the equator - and the bigger their deserts - the better the technology works." (See Here Comes the Sun, February 17, 2007, Commentary, Chipstocktrader.com)

If we build the political will to do what's needed, we will benefit economically, instead of playing catch up with the rest of the world.  Developing homegrown alternative energy industries will prevent the following from continuing.

"Abu Dhabi is not content to just sell you the oil that fuels your SUV; now its going to sell you sunshine to keep your lights on and power your electric car when the internal combustion engine goes the way of the buggy whip. Masdar, the oil-rich emirate’s $15 billion renewable energy venture, and Spanish technology company Sener on Wednesday announced a joint venture called Torresol Energy to build large-scale solar power plants in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States."

"The irony is too rich to leave unsaid: A leading oil producer invests billions in carbon-free energy while a leading consumer of fossil fuels - the United States - continues to subsidize Big Oil while while offering only tepid support for green technology."

"It is inevitable that climate change will foster the rise of renewable energy - the only question is which countries and companies will profit from the new energy economics. It is entirely possible that the U.S. will trade energy dependence of one kind - on Middle East oil - for another - on Middle East and European solar technology - in the era of global warming. It’s no coincidence that most of the solar energy companies with contracts to build utility-scale power plants in California and the Southwest have overseas roots - Ausra hails from Australia, BrightSource was founded by American-Israeli pioneer Arnold Goldman, Solel is based in Israel and Abengoa is headquartered in Spain."  from Green Wombat

http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/

Where there's lots of information on solar thermal power and other clean tech news.

http://www.pluginpartners.org/

Plug in Partners explains why we should switch to plug in hybrids as quickly as possible.  The average American driver would get 100 mpg overall with PHEV cars

A good book on how to achieve energy security and help contain global warming.

http://www.earththesequel.com./

"Krupp and Horn have turned the doom and gloom of global warming on its head. Earth: The Sequel makes it crystal clear that we can build a low-carbon economy while unleashing American entrepreneurs to save the planet, putting optimism back into the environmental story."

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City

This article shows why it is so important to contain deforestation, especially the Boreal Forest of Canada, which is extremely important to much of North America's environmental health.  It is the largest carbon sink in the world, other than the oceans.  It is quickly being logged off, largely to supply Americans with junk mail, consumer catalogues, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

http://www.forestethics.org/article.php?...

Boreal Forest of Canada

"In the US, the American Wind Energy Association forecasts that installed capacity could grow from 11,603 MW today to around 100,000 MW by 2020. In Canada, Emerging Energy Research predicts that installed wind capacity will expand from around 1,500 MW today to around 14,000 MW by 2015."

{from an article at altenergystocks.com by Charles Morand}

A Blueprint For U.S. Energy Security

http://www.setamericafree.org/blueprint....

Here are some good, practical ideas.

Answer 4

You would block some of the sunlight for food crops and other vegetation, producing less food.