THE SOLAR ENERGY FROM SPACE MYSTERY - Expert Engineering & Services
THE SOLAR ENERGY FROM SPACE MYSTERY

THE SOLAR ENERGY FROM SPACE MYSTERY

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One of the main problems of solar power is that it is dependent on local weather condition. On rainy and cloudy days we cannot harvest much energy. During winter, the shortened hours of daylight mean solar panels won’t be soaking up much sunlight.To address these seasonal and weather variations Japan is working on a groundbreaking system to collect solar energy directly from space.



The solar stations would consist of geostationary satellites installed 36,000 km above the Earth, which will transmit collected energy back down to the Earth in the form of laser beams or microwaves.Hypothetically, a solar battery in orbit (36,000 kilometers above earth) could generate power which will be transmitted to earth via microwave/laser, without relying on cables. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)forestalls to hopefully eliminate the need for traditional cable networks. This new technology can be a backbone energy source that will simultaneously solve both environmental and energy issues on Earth. The wireless transmission system which will transmit solar energy to Earth using microwave or laser technology will facilitate by freeing energy generation from the dependence on cables and wires.



Although sending energy across tens of thousands of miles without losses and without threatening any life on Earth seems to be a great challenge. The energy beam would need to travel 36,000 km and hit a receiving stations just 3 km in diameter on the surface of the planet, still“Fukumuro”’who is in charge of research planning for the Space Solar Power Systems project, believes "Japan currently has the most advanced technology to do this".



Currently JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is conducting ground-based experimentation,s to conclude the most effective way to transmit the energy across large distances. In the experiments, 10 kilowatts of electricity was effectively transmitted via a microwave unit. Power reception was confirmed at a receiver located 500 meters away. LED lights on the receiver confirmed the transmission. This symbols a new landmark in transmission distance and power load. The test also confirmed the success of the advanced control system technology to direct the microwave beam on target.

It’s worth nothing that NASA is researching a similar system right now, and hopes to have a prototype ready to send into space by 2025. But with practically the entire agency is currently shut down and is facing a massive potential funding cuts, it will be exciting to see which country is able to launch a satellite first.

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