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posted by martyb on Tuesday February 19 2019, @04:22AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-could-possibly-go-wrong-with-a-gigawatt-laser-in-space? dept.

China wants to put a solar farm in space by 2025

According to China's state-backed Science and Technology Daily, Chinese scientists plan to build and launch small power stations into the stratosphere between 2021 and 2025, upgrading to a megawatt-level station in 2030 and a gigawatt-level facility high above the earth before 2050. Without atmospheric interference or night-time loss of sunlight, these space-based solar farms could provide an inexhaustible source of clean energy. The China Academy of Space Technology Corporation claims such a set-up could "reliably supply energy 99 per cent of the time, at six-times the intensity" of solar installations on earth.

China's proposal suggests converting solar energy into electricity in space, before beaming back to Earth using a microwave or laser and feeding into the grid via a ground receiving system.

Also at the Sydney Morning Herald.

See also: China Wants to Build the First Power Station in Space


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  • (Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Tuesday February 19 2019, @08:50PM

    by ElizabethGreene (6748) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday February 19 2019, @08:50PM (#803663) Journal

    It does sound optimistic, but it's not completely inconceivable to have a small pilot plant operating that quickly. Japan did a public ground demo of the power transmission tech in 2015 and a larger experiment from LEO last year. (Assuming they are using concentrators and a turbine) The turbine that is off-the-shelf technology that would have to be modified for use in free fall, and IIRC GE did proof of concept R&D on that in the 80s.

    It's money and political will. Isn't it always?

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