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Energy Security
Published in Muhammad Asif, Handbook of Energy Transitions, 2023
Researchers had been working on increased efficiency of solar energy use as early as in the 1940s, when it was suggested that an automated space station be launched to redirect solar energy to Earth using microwaves or laser beams (Asimov, 1941). India, China, the United States, and Japan have been developing their own satellite-based robotic solar power stations that would wirelessly transfer huge volumes of clean renewable energy to the Earth. The main barrier hindering the construction of such stations is the high cost of space launches required to place the satellites into orbit. Accordingly, the first such space-based solar power plant is estimated to cost up to US$20 billion. Taking into account the declining space launch costs due to competition by private companies, this amount may be revisited.
Exotic Solar Technologies
Published in Anco S. Blazev, Solar Technologies for the 21st Century, 2021
One of the primary challenges of such space-based solar power generators is getting a large structure up and operating it in space. Researchers are tackling that very problem, with the development of a super lightweight spinning net that could be the foundation of a solar satellite, instead of a heavy metal structure.
Solar Hydrogen
Published in Michael Frank Hordeski, Alternative Fuels—The Future of Hydrogen, 2020
Solar power satellites (SPSs) have promised to provide cheap, clean power, but there has been very little progress on the concept in over 30 years. A 2004 conference on space-based solar power generation held in Granada, Spain, provided progress reports from groups in Europe, the U.S., and Japan who are working on concepts and plans for building solar power plants in orbit that would beam power down for use on Earth. These concepts include building parts of the solar power satellite from lunar and asteroidal materials. The conference focused the technological and political developments required to construct and employ a multigigawatt power satellite. It provided perspectives on the cost savings achieved by using extraterrestrial materials in the construction of the satellite.
Solar space power: an overview
Published in International Journal of Ambient Energy, 2020
The major hurdles in the development of a futuristic space-based solar power system are the huge financial and technical risks involved in construction. The various cost associated with the development of Space solar power is the cost of the satellite, which includes the estimated launch, development, and satellite manufacturing cost. The cost of setting up the satellites in space is very huge. The development cost is relatively high as it goes through the engineering, qualification and flight model development procedures. The cost of first utility-scale SPS launched during ISS construction was potentially greater than the 150 billion USD. According to the Space Island Group, it may cost about 200 million USD to set up a 10-25 MW prototype in low Earth orbit. The current cost of installation of space solar power are as follows: (Fetter; Globus 2009; Jaffe and McSpadden 2013)Total on-orbit system mass = 0.1–10 kg/kWLaunch Cost = $10,000/kgSpace Solar Cost = $750,000/kWTerrestrial Solar PV cost=$5000/kW