Next generation: could space-based solar farms solve our energy woes?

Space-based solar power, a concept once confined to the world of science-fiction, may be closer to reality than we think. This year, various organisations within the global space sector are exploring its feasibility with hopes that, ahead of 2050, it could become a viable, constant source of clean energy.

Whilst research into space-based solar power is picking up pace, the concept isn’t new, researchers having explored it since the 1970s. Continued interest in its potential has sparked intermittent activity from the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) over the years, but until recently, it was deemed economically unviable.

Now, with the cost of launches coming down and decarbonisation becoming more urgent, researchers are excited about the prospect of a reliable renewable energy source which, for the first time, could be within reach.

A space-based solar power system would see solar energy harvested in space through a constellation of kilometre-scale Solar Power Satellites (SPS) in geostationary orbit, each equipped with solar panels and mirrors, which reflect the sunlight onto the panels. The energy would then be converted into radio frequency waves which would be beamed wirelessly to a receiving ‘rectenna’ on Earth, converted to DC electricity, and  then put through an inverter to deliver AC power into the grid.