Strategies of developing advanced lunar power systems

Electric and thermal power have to be available at the base site on the lunar surface before the first lunar crew arrives. Unlimited solar energy is available during the lunar day, but this must be stored for use during the lunar night unless nuclear energy systems are available. State-of-the-art candidate systems are reviewed and the production of solar cells on the moon is discussed. Various options for developing a lunar power plant are proposed. These must be simulated and optimized in a real life-cycle systems scenario to provide operations and cost data essential for choosing a strategy.