/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24732474/236708_space_based_solar.jpg "Space-based solar power is experiencing a surge in popularity")
Beaming electricity down to Earth from solar panels in space has been a long-standing clean energy dream. While the technology still has a ways to go before it can fully power homes, there is increasing hype around the potential for space-based solar power stations. This enthusiasm was fueled by a recent announcement from Caltech researchers, who successfully beamed a small amount of power to Earth using a prototype launched into space.
Solar panels in space have the advantage of soaking up unfiltered sunlight continuously, potentially generating up to eight times more electricity than land-based panels. The hope is to harness this abundant clean energy on Earth or even on the Moon. Researchers, including Nikolai Joseph, a senior technology analyst at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, are exploring the feasibility of turning these dreams into reality. Caltech’s successful demonstration was a game-changer, similar to a breakthrough in nuclear fusion.
Caltech’s prototype addressed a key engineering challenge of safely transmitting electricity from space to Earth. Solar cells in the prototype convert sunlight into electricity, which is then converted into microwaves for wireless transmission. The prototype was able to send microwaves to receiver arrays and successfully convert them back into direct current electricity, lighting up LEDs. It also transmitted a detectable amount of power to a receiver on a Caltech lab rooftop in California.
Following Caltech’s success, various research initiatives have received funding, including a group at Queen Mary University of London working on their own wireless system for beaming microwave energy. The US Naval Research Laboratory also launched an experiment to the International Space Station for beaming power using laser transmitters.
Space-based solar power was first patented in 1968, but its pursuit was deemed too expensive at the time. However, with the commercial space industry reducing launch costs, the economics are changing. The most ambitious timeline aims to power homes and businesses on Earth with space-based solar by 2050. This aligns with the need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions to meet climate goals set in the Paris Agreement. As such, space-based solar power should not be seen as competing with Earth-bound solar farms but rather as a means of maximizing renewable energy sources as quickly as possible.