The energy will be converted into microwaves or lasers in Space and beamed back down to Earth.
Solar energy may jump up to an entirely new level by 2035, as we may see aerospace engineers harnessing the Sun’s power from Space.
The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) has stated that the nation will be doing just that and building a space-based solar power station in our lifetime. This should massively cut down on current fossil fuel consumption.
A solar station up in Space
China plans on building a 200-tonne megawatt-level solar station based in Space by 2035.
The station would capture the Sun’s energy that never makes it down to Earth, according to Wang Li, a research fellow at CAST. Wang shared the information at the sixth China-Russia Engineering Forum held in Xiamen, China, last week.
Wang mentioned that the energy would be converted into microwaves or lasers and beamed back to our planet for consumption.
Furthermore, Wang said, “We hope to strengthen international cooperation and make scientific and technological breakthroughs so that humankind can achieve the dream of limitless clean energy at an early date.”
This would be a very welcome achievement given the number of fossil fuels we currently use is dwindling, not to mention their extremely negative effect on our environment.
A Space-based solution would be more sustainable and efficient from the sounds of it. Wang pointed out that this method of harnessing energy would provide a reliable power supply solution for satellites, disaster-stricken zones on Earth, and isolated areas.
This idea was first hatched back in 1941 when science fiction author Isaac Asimov wrote about the concept of harnessing power from Space. Then in 1968, an American aerospace engineer, Peter Glaser, put together a formal proposal for such a solar-based system in Space.