Building Space Based Solar Panels

Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses.

Building space based solar panels.

Space stations and satellites already use solar panel arrays for. Mankins and others estimate the total cost for developing building launching and assembling all the components of a space based solar power plant is on the order of 4 to 5 billion a fraction. On earth power receiving stations collect the beam and add it to the electric grid. The concept of space based solar power is not new.

Space based solar power sbsp is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space and distributing it to earth potential advantages of collecting solar energy in space include a higher collection rate and a longer collection period due to the lack of a diffusing atmosphere and the possibility of placing a solar collector in an orbiting location where there is no night. Space based solar power attracted considerable attention in the 1970s as the necessary individual technical components in essence photovoltaic cells satellite technology and wireless power. In 1999 nasa initiated a 22 million study investigating the feasibility of space based solar power. Among their conclusions was that launch costs would need to come down to 100 200 per kg to make space based solar power economically competitive.

Apart from providing around the clock power on demand beamed from space the new solar cells panels and production processes being developed through the program could revolutionize space based. The two most commonly discussed designs for sbsp are a large deeper space microwave transmitting satellite and a smaller nearer laser transmitting. Power for spacecraft propulsion electric propulsion sometimes called solar electric propulsion. In fact this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story reason written by isaac asimov.

These panels convert solar power into either a microwave or a laser and beam uninterrupted power down to earth. It is hard to imagine accomplishing a factor of 100 reduction in launch costs. Science fiction writer isaac asimov is credited with bringing the idea of space based solar power projects to prominence in 1941.