Chinese University Team Tests Space-Based Solar Power Transmission
Quick Look
- A team at Xidian University in China is developing technology to transmit solar power from space to Earth.
- They are testing a system using mirrors, solar panels, and microwave transmitters to send electricity over 100 meters, with a long-term goal of 36,000 km.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A team at Xidian University is developing technology for space-based solar power transmission, aiming to send electricity from orbit to Earth. They are currently testing components of this system.
Using a few mirrors, solar panels and a microwave transmitter, Fan Guanheng and his team can send power over 100 metres (330 feet) through the air. But they are dreaming much bigger – 36,000km (23,460 miles) bigger.
The team at Xidian University in Xian, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi province, are testing hardware that could one day be used to generate power in space and send it back to Earth.
On a sweltering June morning, the team were measuring how well light was concentrated by a 4.8-metre, dome-shaped mirror suspended from a 75-metre-tall tower.
The futuristic technology boiled down to three steps, said Fan, an associate professor at the university’s school of mechano-electronic engineering.
First, the mirrors focus sunlight onto solar panels, generating electricity.
Then, the electricity is converted into microwaves and beamed to an rectenna, a kind of antenna.
Open Questions
- What are the efficiency levels of the current system?
- What are the safety considerations for microwave transmission?
- What is the estimated timeline for space deployment?
