ALBAWABA - In a groundbreaking achievement, the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1) project has successfully beamed solar energy wirelessly from space to Earth after a year-long mission.
This milestone test, initiated on January 3 last year, aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of collecting solar energy in space and transmitting it back to Earth on a commercial scale.
Managed by scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the United States, the mission completed three key experiments to test fundamental technology for such an endeavor. These experiments included a novel solar panel structure inspired by origami, different cell designs, and a microwave transmitter.
Caltech emphasized that while this mission would contribute to outlining the future of space solar energy, further research is necessary. Thomas Rosenbaum, President of Caltech and a physics professor, stated, "Beaming solar energy from space at commercial rates to illuminate the Earth was still a possibility for the future. However, this critical mission showed that it could be an achievable future."
Japan's space agency, JAXA, announced plans last year to deploy commercial-scale solar panels in space by 2025. Similarly, the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to establish a development project through the Solaris program.
JAXA had previously succeeded in beaming solar energy via microwaves in 2015, transmitting 1.8 kilowatts of power to a receiver 55 meters away, equivalent to the electricity needed to boil a water heater.
While these recent experiments mark the first successful demonstration of collecting solar energy from a photovoltaic cell and beaming it back to Earth, researchers acknowledge several challenges to overcome, including reducing material costs and making panels resistant to space radiation, before deeming it commercially viable.
