Project Starlight
Shen Nuo Fei performed exceptionally well in kindergarten, surpassing her peers in ability, which is very similar to her father's experience.
Meanwhile, Shen Qi, who was compiling teaching materials in his office, received a special guest.
The visitor's surname was Ma, and he was a director at the Energy Administration.
"Academician Shen, I know you love coffee. I recently went on a business trip to the Caribbean and brought you some Blue Mountain Coffee Beans as a small token of my appreciation. I hope Academician Shen like them." Director Ma was carrying a bag full of Blue Mountain Coffee Beans.
"Director Ma, you're too kind. But please don't bring anything next time, okay? We have rules." Shen Qi gestured for him to sit down. Imported Blue Mountain coffee isn't cheap, and as a Party member and cadre, Shen Qi had to strictly abide by Party discipline.
"That's right, that's right." Director Ma chuckled and placed his small token of appreciation on Shen Qi's desk.
"Academician Shen must be quite busy lately, right? I attended your center's report on the Mathematical Grand Unification, it was brilliant! In my humble opinion, given Academician Shen's numerous world-renowned achievements in mathematics, IMU should award you the Fields Medal for the second time." Director Ma said sincerely, after all, he is a director, his way of speaking is indeed superior.
"Whether it's the Fields Medal or the Nobel Prize, it doesn't matter to me anymore," Shen Qi said calmly.
"That's right, that's right. You going to accept the award now is giving them face. It's my low level that made Academician Shen laugh." Director Ma is a high-ranking official, and he wouldn't come to visit without a reason. Director Ma's personal visit must have been more than just bringing coffee beans.
However, after chatting for a while, Director Ma still didn't say why he had come. He kept praising Shen Qi, as if he were a fanboy meeting his idol.
Shen Qi is busy, but the director won't be idle either.
Shen Qi knew that Director Ma must have something to say, but Director Ma didn't take the initiative to get to the point, Shen Qi didn't press further.
"When I was in my twenties, I desperately wanted to win a major award and gain recognition. Honestly, if I hadn't received the Fields Medal that year, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep going," Shen Qi said with emotion. He added, "This year I'm thirty-one. Fame and fortune are no longer the most important things to me. I just want to do something meaningful for my country and people in my lifetime."
"A pillar of the nation, truly admirable!" Director Ma exclaimed with deep respect, then added, "To be honest, Academician Shen, the reason I've taken the liberty of disturbing you is precisely because the country and the people need you."
"Director Ma, let's skip the beating around the bush and get straight to the point." Shen Qi smiled, guessing that the director of the Energy Administration had come to visit him to discuss energy-related issues.
"Here's the valuable information. Please review it, Academician Shen." Director Ma took out a USB drive and solemnly handed it to Shen Qi.
Shen Qi took the USB drive and plugged it into the computer. Director Ma moved a chair and sat down behind Shen Qi. The two of them looked at Shen Qi's computer screen together.
There was only one PPT file on the USB drive. Shen Qi opened the file.
Shen Qi quickly glanced through the PPT, somewhat surprised. "Project Starlight... If I remember correctly, the Chief Scientist of this project is Academician Han, right?"
China has many academicians, and each academician working on the front lines of scientific research is responsible for different research projects.
For confidentiality reasons, Shen Qi was unaware of the specific details of the projects led by the other academicians, and the other academicians were in the same boat.
Academician Han is an academician of the Academy of Engineering, and Shen Qi's relationship with him is just ordinary.
Before seeing this PPT, Shen Qi had vaguely heard of Academician Han's "Project Starlight" as the Chief Scientist, but he did not know the specific research and development progress or experimental situation of the "Project Starlight".
At this moment, a PowerPoint presentation outlining the progress of the "Project Starlight" appeared before Shen Qi's eyes.
Shen Qi wasn't part of the "Project Starlight" team, and he felt that Director Ma's actions were somewhat inappropriate.
Director Ma smiled wryly, "That's right, the 'Project Starlight' is an important project under the supervision of our Energy Administration, Academician Han is the Chief Scientist of this project. However, Academician Han is getting old, and his health has been poor recently; he has been hospitalized... Academician Shen, please read this interim report in its entirety first."
The "Project Starlight" is a massive, century-long project. Chinese scientists began assessing its feasibility twenty years ago, and it has now entered the experimental phase.
With the increasing deterioration of the ecological environment, the application of new energy sources can no longer remain at the stage of small-scale and limited application.
For insignificant humankind, there is a natural resource that is inexhaustible and exceptionally environmentally friendly for the foreseeable future of hundreds or thousands of years.
That's Solar Energy.
Solar Energy generation, more precisely Photovoltaic Power Generation, is a research field that scientists from various countries are paying close attention to.
Some countries, including China, have already built Photovoltaic Power Station.
Photovoltaic Power Station use heliostats and high-temperature resistant photovoltaic cells to convert Solar Energy into electrical energy, but the cost of erecting a large number of giant heliostats on the ground is very high.
High cost is one aspect, but the most crucial factor is that ground-mounted Photovoltaic Power Station are limited by the bottleneck of light intensity and are also subject to day and night restrictions.
Thus, a grand idea was born—the "Project Starlight".
The core technological concept of the "Project Starlight" is to launch 120 small satellites into Geostationary Orbit. The fluid plane formed by these satellites acts as Synchronous Orbit Reflector. The fluid planes controlled by each satellite connect in Synchronous Orbit to form a flexible arc, reflecting sunlight to the ground for focusing.
The cost of this massive, century-defining project will certainly be much, much higher than that of a ground-mounted photovoltaic power station using heliostats.
However, the "Project Starlight" uses reflected satellite light that is 400 times stronger than the average intensity of natural light, and it is not limited by day or night.
The capacity of the ground power stations supporting the "Light Point Project" is estimated to exceed 50 million kilowatts, while the capacity of the Yangtze Three Gorges Power Station is less than 20 million kilowatts.
The 50 million kilowatt "Project Starlight" Solar Power Station is a behemoth in the power generation industry, more than twice the installed capacity of the world's largest hydropower station.
Therefore, the state approved the "Project Starlight." Chinese scientists spent twenty years conducting feasibility studies and establishing the theoretical foundation for the technology. Currently, the "Project Starlight" has finally entered the substantive experimental stage.
However, the "Project Starlight," which had consumed countless human, material, and financial resources, encountered a technical problem during its experimental phase.
If this problem is not properly resolved, it will be impossible to launch 120 reflector satellites; even if they were launched, they would be useless.
With this question in mind, Director Ma approached Shen Qi.
Director Ma stood up and said in the most sincere manner, "Academician Shen, as you know, the 'Project Starlight' is related to the interests of the country and the well-being of the people. It can be said to have benefits for the present and future generations. Our efforts over the past twenty years must not be wasted; it represents the youth of an entire generation of scientists... Therefore, we ask Academician Shen to help us solve this technical problem."