zlacker

>>g-mork+(OP)
Either this is a straight up con, or Musk found a glitch in physics. It's extremely difficult to keep things cold in space.

>>alangi+u6
This isn't really true, though? The ISS does it with radiators that are ~1/2 the area of its solar panels, and both should scale linearly with power?

>>dahind+E8
The ISS isn't consuming and generating megawatts+ of power.

>>FireBe+Ra
Yes but if the solar panel area scales linearly with radiator area, the problem doesn't get worse?

>>dahind+ed
Wouldn't the panels themselves need cooling too? The ones on earth generate heat while being in the sun.

There are commercial systems that can use open loop cooling (i.e. spray water) to improve efficiency of the panel by keeping the panel at a optimal temp of ~25C and the more expensive closed loop systems with active cooling recovers additional energy from the heat by circulating water like a solar heater in the panel back.