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Solar energy may be able to meet the planet's energy needs

Hopefully, one day they will become an important tool in our fight against climate change

By Mao Jiao LiPublished about a year ago 4 min read
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Solar energy may be able to meet the planet's energy needs
Photo by Galen Crout on Unsplash

According to foreign media reports, giant solar power stations float in space, radiating countless amounts of energy to Earth. This concept, which sounds like a scene from science fiction, was first proposed by Russian scientist Constantine Tsiolkovsky in the 1920s. It has been and remains a true source of inspiration for many science fiction authors.

However, a century later, scientists have made great strides to realize the concept. The European Space Agency has recognized the potential of these efforts and is seeking funding for these projects, predicting that our first industrial resource from space will be "beam energy".

Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and as such, the stakes are very high. From rising global temperatures to changing climate patterns, climate change already affects everyone around the world. Overcoming this challenge will require a radical change in the way we produce and consume energy.

In recent years, renewable energy technologies have developed rapidly, becoming more efficient and less costly. But a major obstacle to the adoption of renewable energy sources is that they do not provide a continuous supply of energy. Wind farms and solar farms can only produce energy when the wind is blowing hard or the sun is shining in the sky, but we need electricity every hour of every day. Therefore, we must first find a way to store energy on a large scale before we can popularize renewable energy.

Solar Satellite

One possible solution to this dilemma may be to generate solar energy in space. This approach has many advantages. A solar power station in space could operate 24 hours a day facing the sun. The Earth's atmosphere also absorbs and reflects some of the sun's rays. So, solar cells above the atmosphere could receive more sunlight and generate more energy.

But then the question arises: How do we assemble, launch and deploy such a massive structure? A single solar power plant would probably have to cover an area of at least 10 square kilometers, the size of 1,400 soccer fields. Secondly, the use of lightweight materials is also crucial, since the biggest cost will then be the rocket to send the power station into space.

One proposed solution is to develop thousands of small satellites. These satellites come together and can be configured to assemble into a large solar generator. in 2017, researchers at Cal tech proposed a design for a modular power station. The power station consisted of thousands of ultralight solar cell blocks. The researchers also demonstrated a prototype battery block of just 280 grams per square meter.

Recent developments in manufacturing - such as 3 printing - are also expected to be used in the development of solar power stations in space. At the University of Liverpool, researchers are exploring new manufacturing processes to print ultralight solar cells onto a solar sail. This solar sail is a fordable, lightweight, and highly reflective film that can use the sun's radiation pressure to propel spacecraft forward without the need for fuel. Researchers are also exploring ways to embed solar cells on solar sail structures to create large, fuel-free solar power stations.

These methods could help us build power stations in space. One day in the future, we may be able to build and deploy power station installations on the International Space Station or a future portal station orbiting the moon.

It may not be that far off. Although we currently rely on materials from Earth to build power stations, scientists are also considering using resources in space (such as materials found on the Moon) to carry out processing and manufacturing work directly.

Once the above problems are solved, one of the main challenges remaining is how to transfer the energy back to Earth. The current plan is to convert the electricity in the solar cells into energy waves, and then use electromagnetic fields to transmit the energy waves to the antenna on the surface of the Earth. The antenna will then turn the energy waves back into electricity. Researchers at AJAX have developed several designs and demonstrated an orbital system that can perform these functions.

Even so, we still have a lot of work to do in this area. But our goal is that solar power stations in space will become possible in the coming decades. Chinese researchers have designed a system called Omega that is expected to be operational by 2050. At peak performance, the system could supply GWYN of electricity to the Earth's power grid. If it were to generate that much power on Earth with solar panels, it would require more than 6 million solar panels.

However, smaller solar satellites such as those designed to power the lunar lander could be put into service much sooner. Today, the global scientific community is investing a lot of time and effort to develop solar power stations in space. We hope that one day they will become an important tool in our fight against climate change.

futurescience
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About the Creator

Mao Jiao Li

When you think, act like a wise man; but when you speak, act like a common man.

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