SoylentNews

Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/will-space-based-solar-power-ever-make-sense/ [arstechnica.com]

Is space-based solar power a costly, risky pipe dream? Or is it a viable way to combat climate change? Although beaming solar power from space to Earth could ultimately involve transmitting gigawatts, the process could be made surprisingly safe and cost-effective, according to experts from Space Solar, the European Space Agency, and the University of Glasgow.

But we’re going to need to move well beyond demonstration hardware [arstechnica.com] and solve a number of engineering challenges if we want to develop that potential.
[...]
“The idea [has] been around for just over a century,” said Nicol Caplin, deep space exploration scientist at the ESA, on a Physics World podcast [physicsworld.com]. “The original concepts were indeed sci-fi. It’s sort of rooted in science fiction, but then, since then, there’s been a trend of interest coming and going.”

Researchers are scoping out multiple designs for space-based solar power. Matteo Ceriotti, senior lecturer in space systems engineering at the University of Glasgow, wrote in The Conversation [theconversation.com] that many designs have been proposed.
[...]
Using microwave technology, the solar array for an orbiting power station that generates a gigawatt of power would have to be over 1 square kilometer in size, according to a Nature article [nature.com] by senior reporter Elizabeth Gibney. “That’s more than 100 times the size of the International Space Station, which took a decade to build.” It would also need to be assembled robotically, since the orbiting facility would be uncrewed.
[...]
Space Solar is working on a satellite design called CASSIOPeiA, which Physics World describes [physicsworld.com] as looking “like a spiral staircase, with the photovoltaic panels being the ‘treads’ and the microwave transmitters—rod-shaped dipoles—being the ‘risers.’” It has a helical shape with no moving parts.
[...]
Ceriotti wrote that SPS-ALPHA, another design, has a large solar-collector structure that includes many heliostats, which are modular small reflectors that can be moved individually. These concentrate [researchgate.net] sunlight onto separate power-generating modules, after which it’s transmitted back to Earth by yet another module.
[...]
For microwave radiation from a space-based solar power installation, “the only known effect of those frequencies on humans or living things is tissue heating,” Vijendran said. “If you were to stand in such a beam at that power level, it would be like standing in the… evening sun.” Still, Caplin said that more research is needed to study the effects of these microwaves on humans, animals, plants, satellites, infrastructure, and the ionosphere.

Getting that across to the public may remain a challenge, however. “There’s still a public perception issue to work through, and it’s going to need strong engagement to bring this to market successfully,” Adlen said.
[...]
Vijendran said he expects the cost of space-based solar power will eventually fall to a point where it is competitive with solar and wind power on Earth, which is below $50 per megawatt-hour. According to the Energy Information Administration’s 2022 publication [eia.gov] on this subject, both solar power and onshore wind cost around $20–$45 per megawatt-hour in 2021.
[...]
“The first major decision point would be to implement a… small-scale in-space demo mission for launch sometime around 2030,” Vijendran said.

Outside of the ESA, Caltech has demonstrated a lightweight prototype [caltech.edu] that converts sunlight to radio-frequency electrical power and transmits it as a beam. The university has been researching modular, foldable, ultralight space-based solar power equipment.

“My view is that much like the world of connectivity went from wired to wireless, so we're going to see the world of power move in a similar direction,” Adlen said. International cooperation will be key to creating space-based solar power stations if projects like these move forward.

Original Submission