Langley Solar (L-Solar)
L-Solar is the modern continuation of the OPEC oil cartel.
The company's original focus, however, was the development of solar technology. Working to significantly improve the efficiency of solar panels, they also made great strides in harvesting solar energy from space and transmitting it to Earth in the form of usable energy.
Contents
Company Overview
Founded over two thousand years ago on Earth, Langley Solar has continually pushed space and planet-based power technology to its next level. The impressive Sol Dyson Cloud was placed to meet the system's energy needs.But making 60% of the universe's electricity and producing a line of inexpensive spacecraft are just a few of the services L-Solar provides for mankind. The company also has a large stake in Earth's oil resources. Though its uses have diminished with synthetic substances and alternative power, it still has its uses.
Headquarters
Originally founded on Earth, Langley has since built a vast complex in Peary Rift that serves as their main production and research facility. This base is a city unto itself, home to thousands of the corporation's employees. The computers there manage most of the satellites around Sol, Earth and Luna.Langley City is quieter than most. Its inhabitants are very tech-oriented and a lot of information is exchanged freely. This businesslike aura is further enhanced by Astrum's constant vigil. The company tries hard to keep its secrets inside the compound, but a few closely guarded bits have leaked out over the centuries.
Renewable Power
Lunar Development
Langley's first extraterrestrial ambitions included microwave transmission of solar energy back to a power-hungry Earth. Giant collectors were constructed in Earth orbit, setting a new trend for space-based technology. These new power plants paid for themselves in scant years, requiring no fuel and only periodic maintenance. However, their high construction and even higher shipping costs hampered the growth of the industry.In addition to the installation of a solar network, Langley crews made frequent supply runs to NASA's Lunar Outpost I, later named Shackleton. With leftover payload space, workers brought materials with the intention of constructing their own Lunar outpost. This L-Solar work camp would be the first Lunar colony outside the government establishment.
Asio-OPEC War
As energy slowly became renewable, and costs fell, an upsurge of new space technology was created. On-site mining and processing of raw Lunar material by other companies helped to cut out the high per-kilo cost of leaving Earth's atmosphere. Solar panels began making their way from space to Earth, instead of the other way around.The beginnings of the Sol Dyson Cloud went online in 2062, rendering many power plants around the world obsolete. Simultaneously launched was a very affordable Langley-General Motors electric car that included recharging panels on its exterior.
The cost of a watt plummeted worldwide. The large-scale creation of 'free' energy in North America was the cause of much unrest among fossil fuel-based companies, chief among them OPEC. This conflict of interests among Earth powers sparks a decades-long feud that ends with oil's largest producer in the hands of Langley Solar.
Outward & Onward
With extra funding popping up planetside, Langley vamps up production of the Sol Dyson Cloud. Its workhorse space transport was an unmanned, solar powered hauler with limited speed and effective range ending at Mars. However, using dozens of these cheap vehicles, the company was able to keep a fast pace of growthGovernments began collapsing one by one; amid the ensuing confusion, L-Solar bought the NASA program and absorbed it into its collective. With its new facilities, Langley would develop a line of manned spacecraft, personal or commercial in nature. The NASA line of space vehicles continues to be built on Earth.
L-Solar would eventually adopt Luna for its main facility site, becoming the first corporation to call space its home.
Current Designs
Dyson Clouds
Pioneering the implementation, though not the theory, of tandem orbital stations blanketing any given sun, Langley constructed and currently maintains the original Sol Dyson Cloud, as well as the clouds around the Chantilas and Ras Elased stars. These massive collections of satellites produce enough power to meet any demand in their respective systems.Building Exteriors
Several key construction technologies were first applied to L-Solar offices. Windows and paints were fashioned in such a way to produce electricity when struck by sunlight. Building exteriors were made to reflect heat and keep the inside cool. Some of these technologies have become obsolete, but most are still used in some form or another.The Eden Project, performed by Langley on Luna, provided a means for space colonies to grow their own food. These domes also produced oxygen, absorbed carbon dioxide, and produced electricity for any budding colony near a sun.
Wearable Power
Through centuries of power development, Langley has transformed clothes and accessories into electrical generators. These articles are usually smooth, like leather or plastic, and covered with millions of tiny tiny carbon poles that are sensitive to body heat and natural and artificial sunlight. The poles react by vibrating at a frequency that induces an electrical charge.Heat and light energy is converted by these nanoantennas into a small but usable electrical charge, turning a person into a walking, talking battery. Powering communicators, plug-in weapon cells and other personal devices has been made easier and cheaper than ever simply by wearing clothes.
Even in the absence of sunlight, enough electricity can be collected by these items to gradually recharge any electrical device carried or worn.