Space Based Solar Power

On earth solar power is greatly reduced by night cloud cover atmosphere and seasonality.

Space based solar power. Space based solar power is the concept of capturing solar energy in outer space and transferring it directly to earth or other nearby planets. About space solar power ssp also known as space based solar power or sbsp. Peter glaser of arthur d.

A space based solar power system could provide energy to everyone even in places that don t receive sunlight all year round like northern europe and russia. Space based solar power essentially consists of three elements. Introduced the concept using microwaves for power transmission from geosynchronous orbit geo to an earth based rectifying.

The gain over the a good location on the ground is only a factor of 3 2 4 in summer 4 2 in winter at 35 latitude. Space solar power can solve our energy and greenhouse gas emissions problems. Figure of a dyson swarm surrounding a star type ii civilization methods.

Solar farms in space could be renewable energy s next frontier china wants to put a solar power station in orbit by 2050 and is building a test facility to find the best way to send power to the. The concept of space based solar power also referred to as solar power satellites sps has been evolving for decades. Space solar power gathers energy from sunlight in space and transmits it wirelessly to earth.

Research on space based solar power has been ongoing at caltech where professors harry atwater ali hajimiri and sergio pellegrino have received funding from the northrop grumman corporation to. In april of 2015 a research agreement. In space the sun is always shining the tilt of the earth doesn t prevent the collection of power and there s no atmosphere to reduce the intensity of the sun s rays.

Among the possibly unanticipated challenges. The united states and the world need to find new sources of clean energy. Collecting solar energy in space with reflectors or inflatable mirrors onto solar cells or heaters for thermal systems wireless power transmission to earth via microwave or laser receiving power on earth via a rectenna a microwave.