MTC joins Space Energy Initiative for in-orbit solar

Backed by the government, the SEI consortium plans to develop a Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) demonstrator by 2030, with a commercial system in place by the middle of the century. Large arrays of solar panels would harvest the Sun’s rays in-orbit, with satellites beaming the energy back to Earth via microwaves. While the concept of SBSP has been around since the 1980s, the radio frequency (RF) technology to transfer the energy has not been mature enough until now.

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Despite recent advances in RF capabilities, the project is still being billed as a moonshot by Westminster, its success dependent on multiple cutting-edge technologies working in harmony. According to the MTC, the project will rely on robotic and automated assembly, teleoperations, remote control and connectivity, as well as emerging digital tools such as computer vision. The MTC’s role will be to support the development of these technologies, as well as upskill UK engineers and identify gaps in the requisite supply chains.