The economic impact of this proposal is far reaching and very positive on the large scale. It will greatly influence many areas of the national and global economy. It will create cheaper power, reduce dependence on foreign oil, decrease pollution, and lessen the effects of global warming. However, it will have a negative impact on the workforce because many people who work to generate energy by lesser means will be phased out.

As global population increases and advances economically, it seeks better living standards, thus more energy. The first graph of this chart shows economic growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) projected to 2030. GDP rose on average 3 percent every year from 1980 to 2005, and global GDP is projected to grow at the same rate to 2030.


As the economies grew, they became more energy efficient. The second graph shows the energy efficiency of the global economy in terms of energy intensity, energy demand (barrels of oil are equivalent energy) divided by GDP. From 1980 to 2005, energy intensity has decreased 1 percent every year. Rate of improvement in energy intensity is projected to increase 1 percent per year. The end result is that energy intesity will be 50 percent below the level of 1980.

The third graph shows global energy demand in terms of millions of barrels per day of oil equivalent. Energy demand is projected to increase on average 1.3 percent per year to 2030, reaching 325 MBDOE.

The next chart shows world energy demand in terms of primary energy supplies projected to 2030. Oil is expected to increase 1.2 percent per year because of transportation and industrial demand for oil. Because of the demand for efficient fuels with low carbon intensity gas consumption is expected to increase 1.7 percent per year. Coal consumption is expected to increase less than 1 percent per year because coal has a high carbon intensity. Nuclear power consumption is expected to grow significantly beyond 2020.


Renewable supplies are projected to have a net growth of 1.5 percent per year overall. However, the majority of this sector consists of biomass, wood, charcoal, and dung, with relatively slow growth. Hydroelectric and geothermal energy are projected to increase nearly 2 percent per year, limited to the availability of natural sites where they are collected.

In stark contrast, modern renewables, wind, solar, and biofuels, are projected to grow rapidly with support from government subsidies and mandates. Biofuels, primarily ethanol, are projected to grow at 8 percent per year, and wind and solar energy are projected to grow at 10 percent per year. The total share of modern renewables is projected to be about 2 percent.

America's economy will be boosted in several ways. First, by reducing foreign oil imports, more money will stay in circulation in America, and our import costs will be decreased. Companies will have greater profits because their operating costs will decrease, and customers of utility companies will save more from a competitive market.

Because this product is mostly automated, it will be maintained by a handful of well-paid engineers, as opposed to the multitude of engineers needed to maintain an oil well or coal mine. As a result, many people who previously worked at these facilities will be no longer needed.

However, with the loss of jobs in energy production based on fossil-fuel supplies, new jobs are expected to arise from the development of new energy production methods, and lower energy costs for research, transportation, and manufacturing. This situation is best explained by Mr. Michael Friend, Advanced Program Coordinator at Pima Community College, Workforce and Business Development,


Because of the reduced workforce, energy delivered by microwave power transmissions will be much cheaper to produce in the long run. The necessary equipment and the transportation to the moon will be expensive, therefore this operation will have large capital investment. However, the project will eventually pay for itself and continue to save money because the process will remain virtually autonomous throughout its life. After the initial investment, the only additional costs will be the labor of maintenance engineers (comparable in salaries to the current salaries of nuclear power technicians) and minor maintenance from obsolescence of parts. Therefore, in the long-run, our project will be economically feasible.

It has been suggested that the energy generated from fusion on the moon could also be exported. Because the moon is not always facing a single area of the earth, the transmitter cannot constantly beam energy to a single area. However, when the transmitter adjusts its focus and aim, it can transmit power to other nations. This would give America another export, and solidify its position in the next generation of energy technology.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Texas A&M Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is an extraordinary program that is constructed to evoke in college students a great interest in pursuing this type of career. R. Buckminster Fuller once said that, "We are called to be the architects of our future, not its victims," a statement designed to challenge students. This department helps students reach a new height of success once they complete this intriguing program.

Electrical Engineering

• PHYS 222 - Modern Physics for Engineers
  
  Atomic, quantum, relativity and solid state physics. Prerequisites: PHYS 208 or 219; MATH 308 or registration therein.
  
  
• ECEN 322 - Electric and Magnetic Fields
  
  Vector analysis, Maxwell's equations, wave propagation in unbounded regions, reflection and refraction of waves, transmission line theory; introduction to waveguides and antennas. Prerequisites: ELEN 214; MATH 311 or registration therein; PHYS 208.
  
  
• ECEN 370 - Electronic Properties of Materials
  
  Introduction to basic physical properties of solid materials; some solid state physics employed, but major emphasis is on engineering applications based on semiconducting, magnetic, dielectric and superconducting phenomena. Prerequisite: PHYS 222.
  
  
• ISEN 302 - Economic Analysis of Engineering Projects
  
  Principles of economic equivalence; time value of money; analysis of single and multiple investments; comparison of alternatives; capital recovery and after-tax analysis of economic projects. Prerequisite: MATH 152.
  
  

Computer Engineering

• CPSC 111 - Introduction to Computer Science Concepts and Programming
  
  Basic concepts, nomenclature, and historical perspective of computers and computing; problem solving and software design principles, including abstraction, modularity, data representation, documentation, portability, structured and object oriented programming; software engineering concepts including requirements definition, testing, and maintenance considerations; development and execution of student written programs. Prerequisite: Course in Pascal or C (high school or college) or approval of instructor.
  
  
• CPSC 211 - Data Structures and Their Implementations
  
  Specification and implementation of basic data structures and abstract data types--linked lists, stacks, queues, trees and tables; performance tradeoffs of different implementations; asymptotic analysis of running time and memory usage; compares and contrasts object-oriented language (typically, Java) and non-object-oriented languages (typically, C); emphasis on adherence to good software engineering principles. Prerequisite: CPSC 111 or approval of instructor.
  
  
• CPSC 311 - Analysis of Algorithms
  
  Design of computer algorithms for numeric and non-numeric problems; relation of data structures to algorithms; analysis of time and space requirements of algorithms; complexity and correctness of algorithms. Prerequisite: MATH 302.
  
  
• ECEN 449 - Microprocessor Systems Design
  
  Introduction to microprocessors; 16/32 bit single board computer hardware and software designs; chip select equations for memory board design, serial and parallel I/O interfacing; ROM, static and dynamic RAM circuits for no wait-state design; assembly language programming, stack models, subroutines and I/O processing. Prerequisite: ELEN 248.
  
  
• CPSC 431 - Software Engineering
  
  Application of engineering approach to computer software design and development; life cycle models, software requirements and specification; conceptual model design; detailed design; validation and verification; design quality assurance; software design/development environments and project management.
  
  
• ECEN 350 - Computer Architecture and Design
  
  Computer architecture and design; use of register transfer languages and simulation tools to describe and simulate computer operation; central processing unit organization, microprogramming, input/output and memory system architectures. Prerequisite: ELEN 248.
  
  
• MATH 302 - Discrete Mathematics
  
  Formal structures for describing data, algorithms and computing devices; theory and applications of sets, graphs and algebraic structures. Prerequisite: MATH 152.
  
  

MIT - Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has been a major leader in the advancing the research in objects such as electronic circuits and systems, lasers and semiconductors and power and energy systems and many others. The department hopes to be able to keep up their record of innovation and leadership in education and research (in their electrical engineering and computer science).

• 6.01 - Introduction to EECS I
  
  An integrated introduction to electrical engineering and computer science, taught using substantial laboratory experiments with mobile robots. Key issues in the design of engineered artifacts operating in the natural world: measuring and modeling system behaviors; assessing errors in sensors and effectors; specifying tasks; designing solutions based on analytical and computational models; planning, executing, and evaluating experimental tests of performance; refining models and designs. Issues addressed in the context of computer programs, control systems, probabilistic inference problems, circuits and transducers, which all play important roles in achieving robust operation of a large variety of engineered systems. 6 Engineering Design Points.
  
  
• 6.02 - Introduction to EECS II
  
  An integrated introduction to electrical engineering and computer science, taught using substantial laboratory experiments that explore communication signals, systems and networks. Physical characterization and modeling of transmission systems in the time and frequency domains; analog and digital signaling; coding; detecting and correcting errors; relating information transmission rate to signal power, bandwidth and noise; engineering of packet-switched networks. These explorations are used to illustrate the role of abstraction and modularity in engineering design; building reliable systems using imperfect components; selecting appropriate design metrics; choosing effective representations for information; analyzing the performance and correctness of algorithms; and tradeoffs in complex systems. 6 Engineering Design Points.
  
  
• 6.002 - Circuits and Electronics
  
  Fundamentals of the lumped circuit abstraction. Resistive elements and networks; independent and dependent sources; switches and MOS devices; digital abstraction; amplifiers; and energy storage elements. Dynamics of first- and second-order networks; design in the time and frequency domains; analog and digital circuits and applications. Design exercises. Alternate week laboratory. 4 Engineering Design Points.
  
  
• 6.003 - Signals and Systems
  
  Fundamentals of signal and system analysis, with applications drawn from filtering, audio and image processing, communications, and automatic control. Topics include convolution, Fourier series and transforms, sampling and discrete-time processing of continuous-time signals, modulation, Laplace and Z-transforms, and feedback systems. 4 Engineering Design Points.
  
  
• 6.007 - Applied Electromagnetics: From Motors to Lasers
  
  Applications of electromagnetic principles to classical and modern devices. Basic electrical components, electric motors and generators, power flow, and energy conversion in macroscopic to quantum-scale electrical and electromechanical systems. Photons and their interaction with matter in detectors, sources, optical fibers, and other devices and communication systems.
  
  
• 6.011 - Introduction to Communication, Control, and Signal Processing
  
  Input-output and state-space models of linear systems driven by deterministic and random signals; time- and transform-domain representations. Sampling, discrete-time processing of continuous-time signals. State feedback and observers. Probabilistic models; stochastic processes, correlation functions, power spectra, and whitening filters. Detection; matched filters. Least-mean square error estimation; Wiener filtering.
  
  
• 6.012 - Microelectronic Devices and Circuits
  
  Microelectronic devices modeling, and basic microelectronic circuit analysis and design. Physical electronics of semiconductor junction and MOS devices. Relating terminal behavior to internal physical processes; developing circuit models; and understanding the uses and limitations of different models. Use of incremental and large-signal techniques to analyze and design bipolar and field effect transistor circuits, with examples chosen from digital circuits, single-ended and differential linear amplifiers, and other integrated circuits. Design project. 4 Engineering Design Points.
  
  
• 6.013 - Electromagnetics and Applications
  
  Electromagnetic phenomena are explored in modern applications including wireless communications, circuits, computer interconnects and peripherals, optical fiber links and components, microwave communications and radar, antennas, sensors, micro-electromechanical systems, and power generation and transmission. Fundamentals include quasistatic and dynamic solutions to Maxwell's equations; waves, radiation, and diffraction; coupling to media and structures; guided and unguided waves; resonance; and forces, power, and energy.
  
  

University of Wisconsin-Madison - Fusion Technology Institute

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Fusion Technology Institute has been trying to develop safe and economical fusion energy resources to be used in the 21st century. The Fusion Technology Institute creates near-term commercial products that advance the quality of human life with the devlopment of fusion power.

• 468 - Introduction to Engineering Research
  
  An introduction to the conduct of engineering research: the scientific method, ethics in research, documentation and treatment of research data, publication practices, and the structure of the broader research community are covered.
  
  
• 469 - Research Proposal in Engineering Physics
  
  An introduction to current research topics in engineering physics. Development of an undergraduate research proposal supervised by faculty members.
  
  
• 471 - Intermediate Problem Solving for Engineers
  
  Use of computational tools for the solution of problems encountered in engineering physics applications. Topics covered include orbital mechanics, structural vibrations, beam and plate deformations, heat transfer, neutron diffusion, and criticality. Emphasis will be on modeling, choice of appropriate algorithms, and model validation.
  
  
• 476 - Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics
  
  Basic tools of professional scientific computation for Unix environments are taught. Programming skills in a compiled language are developed through engineering examples. Applications reinforce engineering problem-solving skills first examined in introductory courses, while motivating progressively more advanced computational methods.
  
  
• 568 - Research Practicum in Engineering Physics I
  
  Undergraduate research projects supervised by faculty members.
  
  
• 569 - Research Practicum in Engineering Physics II
  
  Undergraduate research projects supervised by faculty members. Senior thesis.
  
  
• 615 - Micro- and Nanoscale Mechanics
  
  An introduction to micro- and nanoscale science and engineering with a focus on the role of mechanics. A variety of micro- and nanoscale phenomena and applications covered, drawing connections to both established and new mechanics approaches.
  
  

In addition to building a basic background in microwave technologies and sciences, our comprehensive graduate degree program Microwave Power Transmission Technologies (MPTT) will prepare students to design, manufacture, and modify our product or seek further advanced degrees in microwave-based technologies. We recommend that our students have a basic background in Electronic Analysis and Design, Power System Engineering, RF and Microwave Devices, as well as Electric Power Systems. The research we conduct will hopefully instill a better understanding of microwave theory, antenna and rectenna design, and power systems involved in the wireless transmission of power.