How does space based solar energy work?

How It Works Space based solar energy essential has three elements. First, satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) about 22,000 miles above the Earth's surface use giant mirrors to reflect the sun's rays onto solar collectors to generate electricity.

Could space solar be a gigawatt power plant?

In the UK, a group of entrepreneurs behind government-backed start-up Space Solar are even more ambitious. They aim to build a gigawatt scale power plant in space by the same date, scaling up to a fleet of plants delivering 30 gigawatts into the energy grid by the 2040s.

Could space solar power be available sooner than fusion?

With sufficient investment, adds Sanjay Vijendran, who leads the European Space Agency’s Solaris project, “space solar power could be available sooner than fusion”. Harvesting the sun’s energy is achieved by attaching solar panels to a satellite flying thousands of miles above the Earth’s surface, in constant sunlight.

Can space solar power be commercially viable?

Space solar power was first mooted by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in his 1941 short story “Reason”. In reality, however, it has long been dismissed as too costly and technologically challenging to be commercially viable.

Could solar power be a military space force?

“With the ability to build a solar power satellite comes an ability to field a military space force that is orders of magnitude more capable than any space force that exists today,” he says. Given the security and governance concerns, “it’s unlikely that solar power would only be the property [of] and controlled by one nation”, he adds.

Can solar power be produced from space?

Solar power from space is also available continuously, whereas terrestrial renewables such as wind or solar power can’t generate power when there is no wind or sun. These systems require storage to supply power in the down times, and extra capacity to replenish the storage and satisfy user demand when conditions allow.