China Is Reportedly Building a Solar Power Station in Space

[beijingwalker]

China Is Reportedly Building a Solar Power Station in Space

DAN ROBITZSKI, FUTURISM
16 FEB 2019

China's Academy of Space Technology is working on an orbital power plant that would capture solar energy in space and beam it back to Earth.

The plant would be able to harness solar power even when it's cloudy back on Earth, since its photovoltaic array would be floating high above any terrestrial weather.

With plans to launch a test facility before 2025, pursuing space-based clean energy shows that China is committed to its ongoing push towards using more renewable energy and asserting its place among global leaders in space.

Beam Me Down
Needless to say, the biggest problem for a floating power plant is figuring out how to get the energy back down to Earth.

The scientists behind the project are still sorting that part out.

But right now, the plan is to have solar arrays in space capture light from the sun and then beam electricity down to a facility on Earth in the form of a microwave or a laser, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

From there, the electricity could be used just as if it had been generated by conventional, terrestrial means.

Big Plans
If the launch goes well and the energy-transmitting beam works like it's supposed to, the Chinese scientists have plans to test and launch bigger and more powerful facilities through 2050, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

And aside from sending clean energy to Earth, the power plant could also feasibly power missions deeper and farther into space, as long as the beam is precise enough to target any ships that are rocketing away to explore the cosmos.

https://www.sciencealert.com/china-is-reportedly-building-a-solar-power-station-in-space

 

[bluesky]

But right now, the plan is to have solar arrays in space capture light from the sun and then beam electricity down to a facility on Earth in the form of a microwave or a laser

I myself have checked the possibility of the microwave form for transmitting electricity. To check it, put a normal light bulb inside a micro oven in your house and switch on the oven. You will see a small flash of the bulb. It was not connected to an electric source directly. So, microwave acted as the conduit of electricity whose source was the micro oven.

I think this method of acquiring solar electricity is long known to American scientists. They already did some scientific experiments. But, since oil and gas are cheaper than this type of solar energy they were not encouraged by the US govt to do more research on it.

 

[Dante80]

SBSP is a noble concept, glad to see that China is also joining the party. This is essentially a continuation of what Lt Gen. Zhang Yulin proclaimed a couple of years ago about Chinas' ambitions for exploiting the Earth-Moon Space.

Pretty much all research done so far shows us that the TRL for something like this is achievable without major new scientific breakthroughs. The problem though is more of a practical one. Unless we are able to cut the cost of space launch to less than a dollar per kilogram, SBSP is economically unfeasible. Even when we can manage that though in the future, it only makes economic sense to construct and launch from a far milder gravity well. Essentially, this means developing a Moon or Asteroid based industry.

I can see this happening in a century or so, given the current investment trend levels.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SBSP is a noble concept, glad to see that China is also joining the party. This is essentially a continuation of what Lt Gen. Zhang Yulin proclaimed a couple of years ago about Chinas' ambitions for exploiting the Earth-Moon Space.

Pretty much all research done so far shows us that the TRL for something like this is achievable without major new scientific breakthroughs. The problem though is more of a practical one. Unless we are able to cut the cost of space launch to less than a dollar per kilogram, SBSP is economically unfeasible. Even when we can manage that though in the future, it only makes economic sense to construct and launch from a far milder gravity well. Essentially, this means developing a Moon or Asteroid based industry.

I can see this happening in a century or so, given the current investment trend levels.

Getting the energy down using microwaves isn't as staightforward;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...s-breakthrough-sending-energy-wirelessly.html
Japan comes closer to beaming solar power from SPACE: Mitsubishi makes breakthrough in sending energy wirelessly

"....Japanese scientists have successfully transmitted energy wirelessly in a breakthrough that could pave the way for space-based solar power systems.

Mitsubishi researchers used microwaves to deliver 1.8 kilowatts of power - enough to run an electric kettle - through the air with pinpoint accuracy to a receiver 170ft (55 metres) away.

...

'This was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly two kilowatts of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device,' said a spokesman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) said."

 

[Dante80]

Getting the energy down using microwaves isn't as staightforward;

Not straightforward, but definitely inside our technical capabilities. Microwave or Laser based transmission is not really the hot potato here. The logistics of the whole thing is.

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Microwave would get absorbed by atmosphere. Very little would get to surface.

 

[Götterdämmerung]

China will be the country to build the Dyson Sphere!

 

[52051]

Getting the energy down using microwaves isn't as staightforward;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...s-breakthrough-sending-energy-wirelessly.html
Japan comes closer to beaming solar power from SPACE: Mitsubishi makes breakthrough in sending energy wirelessly

"....Japanese scientists have successfully transmitted energy wirelessly in a breakthrough that could pave the way for space-based solar power systems.

Mitsubishi researchers used microwaves to deliver 1.8 kilowatts of power - enough to run an electric kettle - through the air with pinpoint accuracy to a receiver 170ft (55 metres) away.

...

'This was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly two kilowatts of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device,' said a spokesman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) said."

Japan has neither the resource nor the tech to develop such giant project, just look like how they manage their nuclear reactor you get the picture.

 

[bluesky]

Japan has neither the resource nor the tech to develop such giant project, just look like how they manage their nuclear reactor you get the picture.

It may not be the exact picture of Japan. No doubt, Japan has excelled in developing especially the technologies that are good for mass consumption. It worked less on basic technology and depend on the technologies that were developed in other countries. However, Japan has the money and technical experts who are capable to develop new technologies if only the GoJ patronizes them.

However, I wonder if Japan will really target solar-based energy technology when it already has targetted to develop its methane hydrate (frozen natural gas) reserves around its seas. I heard this stock is enough to fulfill its fuel demand for at least a hundred years.