[typ]

It makes sense to target a higher operating temperature, like 375K. At some point, the energy budget would reach an equilibrium. The Earth constantly absorbs solar energy and also dissipates the heat only by radiative cooling. But the equilibrium temperature of the Earth is still kind of cool.

I guess the trick lies in the operating temperature and the geometry of the satellites.

[golem14]

Asking for a friend (who sucks at thermodynamics:) could you use a heat pump to cool down the cold end more and heat up the hot end much higher? Heat radiation works better the higher the temperature?

[typ]

Not sure about the effectiveness of a heat pump in this use case.

>Heat radiation works better the higher the temperature?

The power output is proportional to T^4 according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law.

[mathw]

It's a minor point but the Earth doesn't radiate all of that heat to equilibrium, that's why we have climate change.