They managed to send solar energy to Earth for the first time in history

For the first time, a team of engineers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) confirms It has successfully transferred energy from solar panels in space to Earth In a potential breakthrough for the future of power generation. The first such demonstration took place aboard the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1).

Experts, led by Ali Hajimere, a professor of electrical engineering at Caltech, have initiated the Space Solar Power Project (SSPP) to collect solar energy in space and Send it back to Earth. As part of the project, the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1) of 50 kg weight, It was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket on January 3 of this year, and we now know that the project has been a complete success.

Solar energy

powered by an experimental solar probe, The energy was transmitted wirelessly in space before being returned to a receiver on Earth. Which indicates that building a tropical solar farm could be possible.

Solar energy collected in space is the next frontier in harnessing renewable energy. It has been studied for decades and promises to revolutionize the energy sector by making it Solar energy is available almost anywhere on the planet. It’s a cool concept, with world-changing benefits if such orbital solar power stations are built, because solar panels on Earth only work during the day and don’t produce much power on cloudy days or when the sun is out. In the afternoon or even early morning. In orbit, there will be no stopping. Continuous collection without emissions.

In fact, renewables are expected to make up 90 percent of the energy market by mid-century, with solar accounting for roughly half.

Experience

The experiment is named Microwave array for a low orbit energy transfer experiment (Maple). MAPLE has two receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to DC electricity, and the energy has been used to power two LED lights inside the prototype. As the researchers explain, they were able to light one LED at a time by switching transmissions between receivers.

According to the press release, the prototype collected sunlight before converting it into electricity and Transmitting it through a series of lightweight and flexible microwave energy transmitters to the Caltech Gordon and Betty Moore Engineering Laboratory on the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California.

Developed by the Caltech team, this platform is built using Low cost silicon technologies Designed to collect solar energy and transfer it to desired receiving stations around the world.

Now, having confirmed the success of the experiment that was to test the ability to collect and transmit solar energy, the researchers Evaluate the performance of individual items of the experiment For information to help them build the next generation SSPD, the Space Solar Power Demonstrator.

“In the same way that the Internet has democratized access to information, we expect wireless power transmission to democratize access to power,” says principal investigator Ali Hajimiri, Brin Professor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering and co-director of SSPP. “There would be no need for energy transmission infrastructure on Earth to receive this energy. That means we can Send energy to remote areas and areas devastated by wars or natural disasters.

reference:

For a start, Caltech’s Space Solar Demonstrator is transmitting power wirelessly in space. Caltech California Institute of Technology. 2023 press release