Going to Mars? You'll need more than batteries

 

Missions to Mars and colonies on Mars, however far-fetched and far-future that seems, will need more power than "conventional" sources in space (aka solar panels and batteries).  They'll need solar -- and they'll need nuclear energy.

At least that's what this Wired article contends.  

Mars Colonies Will Need Solar Power—and Nuclear Too

"But the weight of the needed solar equipment would go up to more than 20 tons for a Mars outpost closer to the poles. Mars is tilted on its axis by about 25 degrees, slightly more than Earth is, and its orbit is less circular, so less sunlight would reach those PV cells during parts of the year. That means nuclear power becomes more viable at the poles. The power generation equipment needed to produce that much nuclear energy would add up to about 9.5 tons of carry-along mass to produce the same 40 kilowatts of energy. That lift is doable for massive next-generation rockets like NASA’s Space Launch System and SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy, which can each carry payloads of at least tens of tons into deep space. (The poles also harbor ice that could provide a water source for the astronauts.)"

The book and movie The Martian previewed this; interesting that they were pretty accurate.  Seems that people forget how useful nuclear energy is.  I wish we were using it a lot more.