Caltech has some great news about the Space Force. Researchers from this university succeeded in transmitting Solar energy From space to Earth without a single cable, and they say it’s the first time.
Space-based solar energy can solve many clean energy problems on Earth; An orbital solar facility can collect 24/7 sunlight, and good sunlight as well, without being affected by weather or weather conditions. Theoretically, the solar potential in space is eight times greater per square meter than solar panels on Earth.
As reported by GizmodoThe experiment is part of Caltech’s Space Solar Project, and the institute announced the successful transmission yesterday through a press release. Researchers conducted the Energy Transfer Experiment using the Microwave Array of the Low Energy Transfer Orbiter Experiment, or MAPLE, a small prototype aboard the Solar Powered Orbiter (SSPD-1) spacecraft launched last January.
For the first time, researchers say, MAPLE’s array of transmitters has successfully transmitted solar energy obtained in space via microwaves to a receiver located on the roof of the Gordon and Betty Moore Engineering Laboratory on the Caltech campus in Pasadena.
“Thanks to the experiments we have conducted so far, we have received confirmation that MAPLE can successfully transfer power to receivers in space,” Ali Hajimiri, co-director of the Space Solar Project, said in a press release. “We’ve also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward Earth, which we’ve discovered here at Caltech. Of course, we tested it on Earth, but we now know it can survive space travel and function there.”
SSPD-1, attached to the Momentus Space Vigoride spacecraft, consists of two panels that are used to collect solar energy. A group of transmitters within MAPLE sends that energy over a specified distance using both constructive and destructive interference.
Located about 30 cm from its transmitter, MAPLE contains two receivers that collect solar energy and convert it into direct electric current that were used during the experiment to power two LEDs inside MAPLE. The researchers were able to light one LED at a time by switching the transmission between the receivers, which indicates the resolution of the array. MAPLE also has a window that allows transmitters to send energy to a target outside the spacecraft, such as Earth.
“Just as the Internet democratizes access to information, we hope that wireless power transmission will democratize access to power,” Hajimere said in the statement. “There would be no need for energy transmission infrastructure on Earth to receive this energy. This means we can send energy to remote areas and areas devastated by wars or natural disasters.”
The ability to transmit solar energy wirelessly from space has huge implications for renewable energy, to the point where Japan plans to start using it in the mid-2030s.. A Japanese research team aims to test the technology in 2025 through a public-private partnership.
As humanity’s need for energy grows, a powerful solution such as collecting and transmitting solar energy from space could be a huge step in the right direction. Harvesting energy from space can operate 24 hours a day — while nighttime interrupts harvesting solar energy from Earth — and transmit energy to remote or disaster-affected areas, provided they have the necessary infrastructure.
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