Building Space Based Solar Panels

It is hard to imagine accomplishing a factor of 100 reduction in launch costs.

Building space based solar panels. Apart from providing around the clock power on demand beamed from space the new solar cells panels and production processes being developed through the program could revolutionize space based. The concept of space based solar power is not new. Power to run the sensors active heating cooling and telemetry. These panels convert solar power into either a microwave or a laser and beam uninterrupted power down to earth.

China is planning to build the world s first solar power station in space to provide inexhaustible clean energy according to a story in science and technology daily the official newspaper of. Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses. For both uses a key figure of merit of the solar panels is the specific power watts generated divided by solar array mass which indicates on a relative basis how much. Power for spacecraft propulsion electric propulsion sometimes called solar electric propulsion.

Among their conclusions was that launch costs would need to come down to 100 200 per kg to make space based solar power economically competitive. Space based solar power attracted considerable attention in the 1970s as the necessary individual technical components in essence photovoltaic cells satellite technology and wireless power. In 1999 nasa initiated a 22 million study investigating the feasibility of space based solar power. Science fiction writer isaac asimov is credited with bringing the idea of space based solar power projects to prominence in 1941.

Mankins and others estimate the total cost for developing building launching and assembling all the components of a space based solar power plant is on the order of 4 to 5 billion a fraction. On earth power receiving stations collect the beam and add it to the electric grid. In fact this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story reason written by isaac asimov.