Image: Andrea Viale, NASA
Space-based solar energy has been proposed as the next frontier to supplement renewable energy supplies.
The concept of capturing solar energy in space and transmitting it to Earth has its origins in an early short story written by famed science fiction author Isaac Asimov as a student during World War II.
Although it received limited attention in the years that followed, interest grew and then accelerated in the turn of the century as the transition to renewable energy progressed, with several Initiatives are being taken.
The proposal is fueled by the rapid decline in launch costs associated with the proliferation of satellites. However, while conceptually simple, technically it is still very complex. The idea is to place solar panels in space over an area of several square kilometers and provide energy with sufficient efficiency through conversion to microwaves and reconversion on the ground.
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Nevertheless, several studies, most recently by NASA, indicate that cost parity with terrestrial renewables should be possible by 2050, if not earlier. Masu.
This space-based solar power could be a viable addition to the renewable energy mix, and one of its main advantages is that it can provide solar energy virtually 24/7 . This is not comparable to terrestrial solar power, at least for now. However, the possibility cannot be denied in the future.
For example, the CASSIOPeiA design proposed in the UK with two 1.7 km diameter solar collectors is calculated to be able to deliver 2GW to the grid via a 5 km diameter rectenna ground station.
California Institute of Technology’s space solar power demonstration device
Key to the development of space-based solar power is the ability to test the technology in space, where it can be influenced by space weather such as solar wind.
Last October, researchers from the University of Surrey and Swansea University reported that they had demonstrated the potential of a new solar cell technology based on thin films of cadmium telluride deposited directly onto ultrathin, space-qualified cover glass material.
After six years in space, the cells showed no signs of delamination, no short-circuit currents, and no degradation in series resistance, but their power output had declined. This is believed to be due to an aspect of the cell design, which will be modified for space use. Next generation.
Perhaps the most advanced initiative is that of the California Institute of Technology, which was launched more than a decade ago and has over $100 million in investments, primarily based on philanthropy.
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A year ago, the first space solar power demonstrator was launched into space, and although it stopped communicating in November, all three technologies on board, essential to making space-based solar power a reality, remained intact for a year. It was confirmed that it was successful. .
These studies demonstrate that flexible mesh materials can be taken into space and deployed, and that low-cost manufactured solar cells, especially those using high-performance compound semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide, have potential for use in space. It shows that energy beamed from space can be used in space. Detected on Earth.
space reflector
Another option being considered was proposed in the early 1980s for night lighting in cities, especially at dawn and dusk when demand is at its peak and the output of solar power plants is reduced. The idea is to install a giant reflector in space that reflects light back to Earth. weaken.
A five-year project started at the end of 2020 at the University of Glasgow, the 'Solspace' reference architecture was recently published. This reference architecture is a collection of five hexagonal reflectors with a total area of approximately 1,000 square meters and a defined size. For example, by other available techniques required for postural control.
Constantly facing the sun, they are estimated to provide approximately 280 MWh of solar energy each day to large-scale solar power installations, with a range of approximately 1,000 km above the sun at an altitude of approximately 1000 km. It has a range of about 10 km, which corresponds to the size of the ray.
The operational life is 20 years and the electricity cost is estimated at $70 per MWh.
Although further results are not yet available from this project, the project will explore issues such as the use of 3D printing methods for reflectors, which are proposed to be made from aluminized Kapton and spider thin films. It is also proposed that
The findings from these and other efforts are in their early stages, and much work remains to be done to advance the technology and implement commercial-scale operations.
But somehow, if the UK's space solar project goes as planned, it could probably happen as early as 2035.
