Space-Based Solar Power Station Projects at Work; Benefits and Functions Explained

The energy sector of the United Kingdom is considering plans to construct a solar power station in orbit. The proposal for this space project amounts to a staggering £16 billion.

Solar Power Station in Space: Is it Possible?

(Photo: NASA via Getty Images)
IN SPACE - AUGUST 11: In this handout photo provided by NASA, the Canadarm2 (center) and solar array panel wings on the International Space Station are extended during the mission's first planned session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) was docked with the International Space Station August 11, 2007, in Space. During the 6-hour, 17-minute spacewalk Mastracchio and Williams attached the Starboard 5 (S5) segment of the station's truss, retracted the forward heat-rejecting radiator from the station's Port 6 (P6) truss, and performed several get-ahead tasks.

In the recent updates from the UK government, some plans specifically target space-based solar power.

According to the country's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, the orbital sun-power harnessing technique serves as a potential solution to help the government achieve net zero by 2050.

Space-based solar power is an approach in which the solar energy will be collected directly from the sun via the components that hover in outer space. The energy would be transferred to Earth stations for management and distribution from these vessels.

Getting solar energy from space is not new, but newer technologies have allowed developments for the technique to be possible.

The space-based solar power has a system that includes a satellite. This large spacecraft, known as a solar power satellite, is responsible for gathering as much solar energy as it can from its orbital location.

The satellite's architecture would be filled with solar panels to generate electricity that could be relayed to Earth-based plants via wireless or high-frequency radio waves. The waves will be directed to a 'rectenna,' or a ground antenna that can hold large amounts of electricity and store it in power grids.

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Sustainable Power Source and Lower Global Temperatures

Power collection would be sustainable with space-based satellites exposed 24 hours a day to the sun. The illumination would be infinite and allows orbital power stations endless electric generation.

Global demands for electric power are theorized to increase by 50 percent once 2050 approaches. But through solutions like space-based solar power, many countries will meet their electricity demands while the world's energy sector simultaneously reduces the temperature of the planet's climate significantly.

A modular design will be utilized to construct space-based solar power stations. This means that the assembly of a single power station would require a series of launches carrying various modules to space.

According to a report by Space, a problem regarding the energy collection technique surfaced in previous decades due to the weight of solar panels. However, solutions in recent years have been proposed by developing ultra-light solar panels.

Another is that an assembly of one station requires multiple space shuttles for launch, meaning that carbon will be first emitted to build the solution that will end it. Several space enterprises, including Elon Musk's SpaceX, are already solving this transportation conundrum by creating reusable and eco-friendly rockets and vessels.

The US government has an ongoing Space Solar Power Project initiative that parallels the UK solar power stations. In 2020, the US Naval Research Laboratory also conducted tests of power conversion in space-based solar modules.

China also announced its independent project known as Bishan space solar energy station, which aims to start harnessing power by 2035.