University of Surrey: Solar farms in space are possible, say Surrey and Swansea

[OKIsItJustMe]

Published: 24 October 2023
Solar farms in space are possible, say Surrey and Swansea

It's viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research from the Universities of Surrey and Swansea.

The first study of its kind followed a satellite over six years, observing how the panels generated power and weathered solar radiation over 30,000 orbits.

The findings could pave the way for commercially viable solar farms in space.

Professor Craig Underwood, Emeritus Professor of Spacecraft Engineering at the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said:

“We are very pleased that a mission designed to last one year is still working after six. These detailed data show the panels have resisted radiation and their thin-film structure has not deteriorated in the harsh thermal and vacuum conditions of space.

“This ultra-low mass solar cell technology could lead to large, low-cost solar power stations deployed in space, bringing clean energy back to Earth – and now we have the first evidence that the technology works reliably in orbit."

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.08.034

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. Now tell me again I'm crazy for saying we need solar panel shades over the equator.

[thatdemguy]

2. This has been science fiction for 20 years

The issue is getting the power back, the most effective was is a microwave beam of energy, its easy converted back to electricity. The problem is now you have a beam of energy that kills anything that goes thru instantly.

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Longer than that

(I saw a NASA model 40+ years ago.)

However, no, you do not get a killer beam from this. The large beam, at its core is less intense than the noonday sun. (i.e. a bird flying through it, might notice it, but would not be cooked.)

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. The Straits Times: Scientists achieve breakthrough by beaming solar energy from space

Scientists achieve breakthrough by beaming solar energy from space

UPDATED OCT 27, 2023 AT 4:36 PM SGT

WASHINGTON – Even by the standards of the space race, the idea seemed bold, maybe a bit crazy.

In 1968, before the first human set foot on the moon, an engineer working on one of the Apollo mission’s experiments proposed a new way to power the world. Giant orbiting solar power plants could soak up the constant sunshine in space – unhindered by clouds, night or seasons – and beam it back to Earth, wrote Dr Peter Glaser in the journal Science. Only space-based solar and perhaps nuclear fusion held the potential to one day replace fossil fuels as civilisation’s main energy source, and fusion was so far off that Dr Glaser dismissed it as “the physicist’s dream”.

This May, researchers huddled on a rooftop in Pasadena, California, received a ping of energy from an experiment passing high overhead. Designed at the California Institute of Technology and launched on a SpaceX rocket in January, the experiment had transferred power wirelessly, shifted the direction of the beam with no moving parts and then aimed it at Earth. It’s one of three Caltech experiments, packed onto a single satellite, now testing key components of a space-based solar system. Dr Glaser’s dream has inched closer to reality.

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A report by the Frazer-Nash Consultancy for the UK government in 2021 found that space-based solar power could one day have a levelised cost of energy (which includes capital costs as well as operations) of £35 (S$58) to £79 per megawatt-hour (MWh), following an 18-year development programme. This seems optimistic, considering that BloombergNEF says a new US wind farm with backup batteries – proven, frequently deployed technologies – will have a levelised cost from US$63 (S$86) to US$103 per MWh.

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[OKIsItJustMe]

5. In a First, Caltech's Space Solar Power Demonstrator Wirelessly Transmits Power in Space

In a First, Caltech's Space Solar Power Demonstrator Wirelessly Transmits Power in Space

June 01, 2023

A space solar power prototype that was launched into orbit in January is operational and has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and to beam detectable power to Earth for the first time.

Wireless power transfer was demonstrated on March 3 by MAPLE, one of three key technologies being tested by the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), the first space-borne prototype from Caltech's Space Solar Power Project (SSPP). SSPP aims to harvest solar power in space and transmit it to the Earth's surface.

MAPLE, short for Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment and one of the three key experiments within SSPD-1, consists of an array of flexible lightweight microwave power transmitters driven by custom electronic chips that were built using low-cost silicon technologies. It uses the array of transmitters to beam the energy to desired locations. For SSPP to be feasible, energy transmission arrays will need to be lightweight to minimize the amount of fuel needed to send them to space, flexible so they can fold up into a package that can be transported in a rocket, and a low-cost technology overall.

MAPLE was developed by a Caltech team led by Ali Hajimiri, Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering and co-director of SSPP.

"Through the experiments we have run so far, we received confirmation that MAPLE can transmit power successfully to receivers in space," Hajimiri says. "We have also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward Earth, which we detected here at Caltech. We had, of course, tested it on Earth, but now we know that it can survive the trip to space and operate there."

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[OKIsItJustMe]

6. CBS News: Groundbreaking research transmits energy from space to Earth

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. How Wireless Energy From Space Could Power Everything Ali Hajimiri TED

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Space Solar And Thales Alenia Space In The UK Working Together To Deliver Space-Based Solar Power

SPACE SOLAR AND THALES ALENIA SPACE IN THE UK WORKING TOGETHER TO DELIVER SPACE-BASED SOLAR POWER

30 OCT 2023
THALES ALENIA SPACE

Harwell, 30th October 2023 – Leading space-energy company, Space Solar has today announced an innovation partnership with Thales Alenia Space, a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), to continue their collaboration on the first commercial space-based solar power (SBSP) system.

The agreement reflects the strategic alignment of the two companies toward SBSP and recognition of the opportunities it presents for space sector organisations around developing new, large infrastructure in space to support the needs of the planet. Both companies are committed to bringing this technology to life to create a completely new baseload energy technology for the benefit of humankind.

Thales Alenia Space in the UK and Space Solar have been working together for over 6 months on the UK Government’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s ‘Net Zero Innovation Programme’ (NZIP), developing the concept and assessing mission architectures for Space Solar’s CASSIOPeiA system.

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The agreement today builds on that strong foundation, reflecting the rapid growth in interest in SBSP around the world, and the need for strong partnerships. It also presents an opportunity for both companies to help shape the ecosystem for the technology and best-in-class delivery teams.

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[OKIsItJustMe]

9. ESA SOLARIS

[brush]

10. Amazing. Sound promising.

[pscot]

11. We just need a really long extension cord