United Nations Photo

Headline Energy-Source of Power : Solar-Powered Microwave "Repeater" System

Caption Description Oil was the cheapest form of energy until relatively recently. The industrial world thrived on it. Many countries became dependent for their food on its by-products-fertilizers and pesticides. Other sources of power - the sun, the wind, the tides, steam in the earth's crust, coal, nuclear fission and fusion - were neglected as too expensive. Some are more costly to the environment to exploit than others. But many are relatively inexhaustible by comparison with oil. A fair price for energy must be fair to buyers and sellers, but also to the earth and to future generation.
Solar-powered microwave 'repeater' system developed by GTE Lenkurt Incorporated which is installed near the community of Mexican Hat in southeastern Utah. Two solar panels, each containing thirty-six individual solar cells, convert the sun's radiated light into electrical power to operate microwave ""repeater"" system. The system presently has the capability to transmit 36 telephone conversations simultaneously, and the energy consumption of the new repeater, four watts, is about one per cent of that of a conventional microwave repeater. [No exact date]

Unique Identifier UN7437633

NICA ID 398936

Production Date 01/01/1977 12:55:57 PM

Country United States of America

Credit UN Photo/GTE Lenkurt Inc.