The era of cosmic solar energy may finally be coming
Some researchers say this long-held science fiction dream may become a reality in the next decade or so.
The sun never sets in the universe.
Therefore, the idea of collecting solar energy through energy-emitting satellites has long attracted researchers to find ways to satisfy an energy-hungry planet. Although this idea of
has existed for decades, it is now attracting new attention from all over the world: American and Chinese technicians, Japanese experts and researchers from the European Space Agency and the British Space Agency are all working on it To develop cosmic solar energy.
Mechanical Devices in History
The idea of radio transmission can be traced back to Nikola Tesla in the late nineteenth century.
By 1968, the concept of solar satellites was elaborated and patented by American space pioneer Peter Glaser. He designed a novel method: using solar cells to collect energy from light, and then transmit high-energy microwaves to receiving antennas on the earth. These microwaves are then converted into electrical energy and supplied to the power grid.
Then, in the mid-1970s, microwave power transmission experiments of tens of kilowatts were successfully carried out at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory 's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Center in California.
’s “energy journey” has not stopped yet.
Exciting Advances
John Mankins, president of Artemis Innovative Management Solutions in Santa Maria, Calif., said researchers have made some exciting advances over the past decade that have increased The possibility of cosmic solar energy within the next decade. His point: The long-term vision of cosmic solar power as a sustainable energy alternative should be revisited in light of recent developments.
Mankins tells us that a series of key points support this view. He said: "Climate change is really going to be a disaster. Countries have promised to achieve zero carbon emissions, but they don't know how to fulfill their commitments."
He added that the "new space" is quickly unfolding Value is also reshaping the landscape of space activities in the 21st century. “The two biggest obstacles to achieving cosmic solar power have always been launch costs and hardware costs,” Mankins said. “If those two issues and the flight rate issue are solved, you can get the solar satellite data that people have been talking about. ."
Large satellite constellations
Another recent change is the emergence of large satellite constellations, Mankins added.
The Starlink satellite broadband network of the American Space Exploration Technology Company is a typical example. The construction of the network involves a mass production project that can currently produce 30 tons of satellites per month. SpaceX is expected to build and launch 40,000 satellites within five years.
"The path to low-cost hardware has emerged," Mankins said. "This production is modular and high-volume. The current barriers to launch and hardware cost have been overcome."
He believes that in the short term , that is, in the next ten years, the concept of cosmic solar energy will not be more feasible from economic aspects than it is now. He cited advances in space launch capabilities; advances in robotics for space assembly, maintenance and service systems; and advances in various component technologies, such as high-efficiency solid-state power amplifiers.
"So cosmic solar energy is ready for the dawn of time," Mankins said.
Astronomical Power
In its early days, James Michael Sneed, director of the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, focused on understanding the energy sources needed for cosmic solar energy. policy, and he was also an early participant in the construction of cosmic solar energy. He adopted the term "astroelectricity" to describe the transportable electricity produced by cosmic solar systems.
Looking ahead to what he calls "the coming age of astronomical electricity," he sees a world in need of alternatives to oil and natural gas - the two main energy sources that currently sustain industrial standards of living.
Snead envisions a world in 2100, when about 20% of electricity comes from terrestrial nuclear power and renewable energy, and the remaining 80% is supplied by astronomical power.
Sneed told us: "Just as military, economic and diplomatic control of Middle East oil has had a material impact on world affairs over the past 80 years, control of cosmic solar platforms will dominate outer space in this century. Activities."
'Perform like a winner'
While new artworks, economic plans and conceptual cosmic solar ideas are flowing, there is an space technology experiment already underway.
On its latest launch mission in May 2020, the Space Force’s X-37B robotic space plane was tasked with conducting the Photovoltaic Radio Frequency Antenna Module Flight Experiment (PRAM-FX), a Naval Research Institute project on converting solar energy into radio frequencies. Research project on microwave energy. The research focus of
X-37B is not to build an actual power emission chain, but to evaluate the performance of sunlight to microwave conversion.
"It's performing like a winner," said Paul Jaffe, an electrical engineer at the Naval Institute who works on power transmission and solar satellites. "We're getting data on a regular basis that exceeds our expectations."
PRAM- FX is primarily composed of commercial parts rather than "space-grade" hardware. "It's continuing to work and giving us positive results, which is pretty encouraging," Jaffe said. Commercial parts are mass-produced, while many space-grade parts are custom-made one-off.
Jia Fei believes that solar-powered satellites - those envisioned to operate in high Earth orbit - will have thousands of commercial components tested on the X-37B.
Promote economic development
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done before this.
Jia Fei said: "People who oppose space solar energy believe that it cannot significantly promote economic development. But those who have a deep understanding of this research direction understand that from the standpoint of physics, there is no reason why you should not develop this project."
"As space hardware becomes mass-produced, and the cost of access to space decreases, it's more likely to work," he added. "One can't be overly optimistic, but I would also point out that things are changing. Cosmic Solar There are a lot of encouraging developments in the field."
Jia Fei concluded that cosmic solar energy will definitely be compared to the "levelized cost of energy" metric. "There just isn't enough data to come up with a levelized cost of energy basis for space solar power. It's premature. What you're seeing now is laying the groundwork for that assessment."
A clear, affordable path
for Artemis Innovative Management Solutions' Mankins has unveiled a solar satellite based on an arbitrarily large phased array, which he demonstrated at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from October 25 to 29. This design. He detailed Cosmic Solar's business model and step-by-step development plan, which he believed heralded a clear, affordable path to much-needed new energy options.
"I believe you will be able to use solar satellites within the next ten years," Mankins said.
Combined with the fact that many countries are looking to cosmic solar as a promising future power generation system, this possibility raises the question: Solar satellites Is there a competition going on?
Mankins said it was close. "I think it has to be a collaboration between allies. But I think we're probably going to be competing with China. The longer we wait on climate change policy, the more likely we are to miss out."
Mankins on Cosmic Solar Power and 26 years of experience in required technologies. "The time has come," he said, "and I think the right answer is clear: we need to do it."
BY: Leonard David
FY: Theodore0332
If there is any infringement of relevant content, please contact the author after the work is published to delete it.
Please also get the reprint. Authorize, pay attention to maintaining integrity and indicating the source
