Last Tuesday Caltech launched their experimental solar system into space, making a big step forward to a power plant in orbit. Real estate billionaire Donald Bren is financially supporting the project with 100 million dollars.
According to plan, the prototype will be functional in several weeks. The system is built in a modular fashion to be able to expand it, if the test is successful. When fully realized, the power plant will deploy a constellation of modular spacecraft that transforms sunlight into electricity and wirelessly transmits the energy back to earth. The microwave array will provide electricity to places that currently have no access to reliable power. Further advantages of solar plants located in space are the practically unlimited supply of solar energy since they are not dependent on day-night-cycles, cloud formations or seasons.
For this technology several innovations needed to be researched upon. Solar panels that are known in solar parks or for private households are heavy, bulky and require a lot of wires. That isn’t economically feasible when the components need to be launched into orbit. Therefore, the company designed and created flexible, lightweight arrays capable of transmitting energy wirelessly. The system has been sent to space folded and it automatically unfolded once the destination has been reached. (Click here to see how wireless energy transfer works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5SBF48WqV4&t=21s)
Yet another great example of innovation in the field of solar systems. We are convinced, that the transition to renewable energy will be a success.
Empower the future with GreenView Energy.
Comments