The European Space Agency (ESA) will consider the feasibility of a gigantic solar farm in space at a meeting this week in Paris. If approved, a three-year study will be launched into whether such a farm would be possible, cost-effective, and capable of wirelessly “broadcasting” power back to Earth.
While the idea is certainly not new, it is often put forward as a concept, but has never really taken off; if the study proves positive, it could be the first time officials have actually tested the bold plan.
The SOLARIS initiative would lay the groundwork for a possible decision to start development of the farm in 2050, according to the ESA. Such a project would aim to address the inherent limitations of solar power on Earth, such as the way power cannot be produced overnight or under heavy clouds, simply by taking solar cells above the atmosphere.
Would greatly increase the efficiency of the cells, since the sunlight would be about ten times more intense in space (thanks to the atmosphere), and could be the answer needed to achieve the European Net Zero commitment for 2050.
Of course, we’ve been using solar panels in space for decades, so it’s certainly not a groundbreaking idea; the hard part comes in getting that energy back to Earth.
The reference design and the main idea of how ESA would do it is through 2.2025 gigahertz microwaves. Power would be taken from photovoltaic cells and transmitted via microwave to receiving stations on Earth, called ‘rectennas’, which would then convert it back into electricity and feed it into the grid.
The best part is, once the power plant is up and running, the target doesn’t need to be Earth: When humans finally get to colonize the Moon, energy could be sent there as well.
Going ahead with SOLARIS would cement Europe as a “key player, and potentially a leader, in the international race towards scalable clean energy solutions,” writes ESA.
Some challenges still need to be addressed: at this time, both the satellite and the receiving stations would have to be very large; and the cost of many rocket launches to build something weighing thousands of tons into orbit would be astronomical.
However, it could still be significantly cheaper than current solutions for the same level of power production.
Also read: 2050 Humans will live on the Moon in this decade, says a NASA official2050· The Orion capsule successfully completes its closest flyby of the Moon2050· Rare meteorite that fell on the Earth reveals where the planet’s water came from