The first to describe a space-based solar power station was the science fiction
writer Isaac Asimov, who in his 1940’s novel Reason wrote about a community of
robots who managed to build a space station to accumulate solar energy and distribute it on Earth and on other colonized planets. In the seventies, NASA and the
Department of Energy developed for the first time the concept of a Space-Based
Solar Power (SBSP),
38
which despite continuous efforts did not progress beyond a
purely theoretical stage. Nowadays, the agenda of the US, Russia, China, India,
Japan and even Europe
39
includes the concept of a space-based solar power station, to the point that new generations of private entrepreneurs make no secret of
aiming for this futuristic technology.
40
The intensity of sunlight in space is 30% greater than that on the ground. Down
here, the energy has a maximum value of 1,000 watts per square meter; outside the
atmosphere, the irradiation is at a constant value of 1,400 watts and it is not
affected by seasonal variations, meteorological disturbances or the day-night
cycle. In theory, a space-based system of energy collectors and storage in geostationary orbit could convert the solar flux into electromagnetic power, transmitting
it via laser or microwaves to fixed receiving stations on Earth. From there, it could
be possible to convert the flux into electricity to be fed into the local distribution
network. The theoretical advantages of a SBSP are impressive: a square panel of
photovoltaic cells of 10 miles on each side in geostationary orbit could provide
over 10 gigawatts of average power on Earth. The US Energy Information
Administration estimated that in 2019, about 69,000 Gwh of electricity generation
in the US was from solar photovoltaic systems,
41
accounting for about 2.6% of the
total usage, with an increase of 16% with respect to the previous year. A spacebased solar power station could provide a valuable means to increase renewable
source usage and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which still accounts for 62%
of the energy needed by the country.
There are still many technical problems to solve before we can implement this
technology in space, but potential solutions are beginning to emerge. For example,
the management of high heat levels onboard the space station and its energy storage systems could be addressed by launching into orbit a modular system of thousands of low-weight robotic solar cells that create a cooperating network in space.
38
NASA Technical Report. 1976. Space-Based Solar Power Conversion and Delivery Systems
Study. Volume 3: Economic Analysis of Space-Based Solar Power Systems. NASA-CR-150148,
REPT-76-145-2-VOL-3, IR-2.
39
https://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/projects/sps.html.
40
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130226-space-based-solar-farms-power-up.
41
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/03/01/us-wind-and-solar-generation-up-10-5-fossilsdown-2-7/.
92 Space Economy: A Business On the Launch Pad
writer Isaac Asimov, who in his 1940’s novel Reason wrote about a community of
robots who managed to build a space station to accumulate solar energy and distribute it on Earth and on other colonized planets. In the seventies, NASA and the
Department of Energy developed for the first time the concept of a Space-Based
Solar Power (SBSP),
38
which despite continuous efforts did not progress beyond a
purely theoretical stage. Nowadays, the agenda of the US, Russia, China, India,
Japan and even Europe
39
includes the concept of a space-based solar power station, to the point that new generations of private entrepreneurs make no secret of
aiming for this futuristic technology.
40
The intensity of sunlight in space is 30% greater than that on the ground. Down
here, the energy has a maximum value of 1,000 watts per square meter; outside the
atmosphere, the irradiation is at a constant value of 1,400 watts and it is not
affected by seasonal variations, meteorological disturbances or the day-night
cycle. In theory, a space-based system of energy collectors and storage in geostationary orbit could convert the solar flux into electromagnetic power, transmitting
it via laser or microwaves to fixed receiving stations on Earth. From there, it could
be possible to convert the flux into electricity to be fed into the local distribution
network. The theoretical advantages of a SBSP are impressive: a square panel of
photovoltaic cells of 10 miles on each side in geostationary orbit could provide
over 10 gigawatts of average power on Earth. The US Energy Information
Administration estimated that in 2019, about 69,000 Gwh of electricity generation
in the US was from solar photovoltaic systems,
41
accounting for about 2.6% of the
total usage, with an increase of 16% with respect to the previous year. A spacebased solar power station could provide a valuable means to increase renewable
source usage and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which still accounts for 62%
of the energy needed by the country.
There are still many technical problems to solve before we can implement this
technology in space, but potential solutions are beginning to emerge. For example,
the management of high heat levels onboard the space station and its energy storage systems could be addressed by launching into orbit a modular system of thousands of low-weight robotic solar cells that create a cooperating network in space.
38
NASA Technical Report. 1976. Space-Based Solar Power Conversion and Delivery Systems
Study. Volume 3: Economic Analysis of Space-Based Solar Power Systems. NASA-CR-150148,
REPT-76-145-2-VOL-3, IR-2.
39
https://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/projects/sps.html.
40
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130226-space-based-solar-farms-power-up.
41
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/03/01/us-wind-and-solar-generation-up-10-5-fossilsdown-2-7/.
92 Space Economy: A Business On the Launch Pad