Could Unlimited Energy Be Created In Our Orbit

Could unlimited energy be created in our orbit?

It is becoming increasingly possible that by 2040 we could have large scale solar power plants in space, creating a potentially unlimited source of energy.

Space Energy Initiative (SEI) is working on a project called Cassiopeia that plans to construct a massive constellation of large satellites in high orbit.

These satellites would work by focusing the suns energy into a single high frequency beam that would be picked up by an antenna on Earth, where it is converted from radio waves to power.

The constellation would operate in a narrow strip circling the planet, this strip would receive ‘more than 100 times the amount of energy that all of humanity is forecast to use by 2050’ – Martin Soltau

The satellites would be made of 100,000s of small identical modules made on earth, then would be assembled by autonomous robots in space, who would also carrying out service and maintenance.

Each satellite would output around 2GW of power to the national grid. Meaning that it would only take 2 satellites to power the entirety of London for a year.

For a reference of how much energy that is: 1 satellite would be able to power around 1.5 million homes.

Space Based Solar Power has many benefits – such as the space freed up by not having massive solar power plants on the surface that take up miles of land. The energy output by the satellites would also not be slowed by weather conditions allowing for consistent output.

While it may not be the sci-fi dream of a Dyson swarm – it is a massive leap forward in a future of clean energy and could be the one to save the planet from irreversible climate change.

Read more on the latest tech news – Blog Genmar IT

How solar farms in space might beam electricity to Earth – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62636746