If you're looking for a real space-age energy solution, your wait could soon be over! Three companies are collaborating on efforts to send energy to Earth with a space-based solar energy farm by 2030, Interesting Engineering reports.
Normally, when solar panels collect sunlight, they turn it directly into electricity. But there are other options, including sending the power long-distance via radio waves. This project aims to establish a solar-power-generating satellite that will use radio to beam its power back to Earth.
It is a collaboration between the Icelandic sustainability initiative Transition Labs, Reykjavík Energy, and U.K.-based Space Solar, per IE's report. The plant — which could be the first of many — is designed to produce 30 megawatts of power initially. It will be launched into space on SpaceX's Starship megarocket.
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One benefit of gathering solar energy from space is that it can happen day and night, no matter what the weather conditions are on Earth. That means plentiful and cheap energy for users back on Earth.
Per Space.com, Space Solar estimates the project will cost $800 million in total, but it will be able to produce power at roughly $2.25 billion per gigawatt. That's a quarter of the cost of energy from a nuclear plant, so it's competitive with other clean energy sources like Earth-based wind and solar.
Imperial College London performed an independent analysis and concluded that adding 8 gigawatts of space-based energy in the U.K. could save the country over $5.2 billion in system costs per year, IE reported.
That's in addition to sharing all the benefits of solar panels, which produce power without consuming fuel and don't produce air pollution like dirty energy sources.
The new solar farm is planned to be up and running in 2030, when it will start supplying enough power for 1,500 to 3,000 homes. Space Solar aims to have a gigawatt of capacity by 2036.
"Space-based solar power offers unparalleled benefits with competitive energy costs and 24/7 availability," said Martin Soltau, co-CEO of Space Solar. "Reykjavík Energy's recognition of the potential for space-based solar to drive the energy transition is exciting, and we're thrilled to be working together in partnership toward a sustainable future."
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