Many people say what is the use of China space station , and the chief designer of China space station system Yang Hong answered that China space station will provide on-orbit technology verification for future space solar power plants.
is right. China is going to build the "Three Gorges" - a space solar power station in space 36,000 kilometers away to supply power to the ground. This may be a bit beyond everyone's understanding. How to supply power to the ground in space solar power stations? Can they connect a wire to the sky?
What is a space solar power station
In fact, the energy of solar energy is the energy from the external celestial bodies on Earth (mainly solar energy), and is the huge energy released by the fusion of the hydrogen nucleus in the sun at ultra-high temperatures. Most of the energy required by humans comes from the sun directly or indirectly. The coal, oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels we need for life are all caused by the fact that various plants convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis and store it in the plants, and then they are formed by the animals and plants buried underground through long geological years. In addition, water energy, wind energy, wave energy, , current energy, , etc. are also converted from solar energy.
Solar energy has the advantages of large energy flow density, continuous and stable, and not occupying arable land. space solar power station refers to the power system that converts solar energy into electricity in space and then transmits it to the ground wirelessly.
It can supply power to any location by controlling the microwave beam space solar power station, which is more valuable than ground photovoltaic power stations. Because space solar power stations can work continuously due to the influence of day and night and weather, and have high solar energy utilization efficiency.
space transmission to the ground. What technology can be used to transmit power from space to the ground depends on radio energy transmission technology (WPT). As the main key technology of space solar power generation, WPT (Wireless Power Transmission) plays an important role in energy transmission. Through WPT, the electrical energy converted into solar energy can be further converted into microwave beam energy or laser energy, and the beam will be controlled to the area where the required electricity is controlled, and then further converted into electrical energy through microwave or laser receiving devices, input to the power grid or directly meet the needs of different users.
Then WPT technology is divided into microwave wireless energy transmission technology (MPT) and laser wireless energy transmission technology (LPT). Microwave wireless energy transmission technology is a transmission method that has been studied more frequently in space solar power plants. It has high conversion and transmission efficiency. It has very good penetration of atmospheric and cloud layers in specific frequency bands. The technology is relatively mature. The beam has low power density and can be controlled with high precision pointing through the beam, which has high security. However, due to the wide beam, the scale of transmitting and receiving antennas is very large, and the engineering implementation is difficult, and it is more suitable for ultra-high power space solar power station systems.
Laser wireless energy transmission technology is its main feature of narrow transmission beams, small transmission and reception devices, and more flexible application. By rationally selecting the frequency, atmospheric losses can be reduced, which is more suitable for medium and small power space solar power plant systems. The difficulty lies in the fact that the high-power laser technology is poorly mature, and it is difficult to implement high-point accuracy, and there are great safety hazards. The main disadvantage is that the atmosphere is poor permeability, and the efficiency of transmission is greatly affected by the weather.
WPT technology is based on the principles of microwave energy transmission, control and conversion. It has long been widely used in military, scientific and communication satellite and other fields. The popularity of household microwave ovens shows that microwave technology has matured. Microwave theory, phase locking technology, magnetron technology and related control theory have long become compulsory courses in electronic majors in Chinese universities.
Development of space solar power plants
In fact, both the United States and Japan were conducting research on space solar power plants earlier than China. From 1999 to 2001, NASA invested US$22 million to launch the "Space Solar Explosive Research and Technology Project" project, summarizing and analyzing the latest progress of space solar power plants.The development route of the US space solar power plant was proposed, and the space verification of 10MW system is planned to be achieved in 2020, laying the foundation for the development of commercial systems in 2030.
But we all know that American pigeons are nowhere to go for commercial use in 2030.
However, China's research on solar cell can be said to be the world ahead. China's space station used flexible triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cell array technology for the first time, which consists of more than 100,000 flexible solar cell . The thickness of these flexible solar cells is less than 1 mm. It not only has good radiation resistance and high temperature resistance, but also has a photoelectric conversion efficiency of more than 30%. As an energy conversion device for space power stations, solar cells should have high conversion efficiency, weight-volume ratio power, and strong anti-assisted lighting and anti-decay capabilities. At the same time, it must be low in cost and long in life, making it easy to install. It can be said that the flexible triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells currently used in China can well meet the needs of space photovoltaic power plants.
Of course, we are still facing many technical challenges. According to the interview with Chief Professor Yang, we will make key technical breakthroughs in individual projects the next focus.
For example, using our space station to take care of it outside the cabin, we can perform some modular and modular in-orbit assembly for power station verification. After assembly, release it outside through the space station. After the orbit is lifted, the antenna array and battery array are completely expanded, and then a small satellite that is flying is released. In this case, on the one hand, it is the test of the power station module, and on the other hand, it is a small satellite that is flying with two pairs to verify the key technology in the sky.
summary
Therefore, the construction of space solar power stations cannot be separated from China's space station, which is also why space solar power stations are currently the earliest layout for Japan and the United States, because they can use International Space Station , which has advantages.
my country is not only a major energy consumer country, but also a space power. Judging from the situation of economic development , energy issues have become a key constraint on my country's sustainable economic and social development. As a future renewable energy system, space solar power plants will greatly promote the sustainable development of my country's energy and the sustainable development of aerospace technology.
In addition, using space solar power plants can supply power to remote areas, disaster-stricken areas and other specific areas, and can also flexibly supply power to ground mobile targets. At the same time, it can allow the spacecraft to get rid of the huge solar cell wings, greatly improve the power level and control accuracy. In the future, space solar power plants can even be used for space fuel production and space processing and manufacturing, and promote the development of the space industry.
Although the construction of China's space station has been completed, the space solar power station has also begun from planning to experiment. This is a good answer. What is the use of China's space station? If the Chinese space station is used well, it will have a huge role in promoting China's economic and people's production, and will greatly promote the development of China's science and technology.
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