Researchers modeled the European energy system in 2050 using two NASA-developed designs for orbital solar arrays: the Innovative Heliostat Swarm and the Mature Planar Array. The heliostat design, though less mature, demonstrated higher performance and the potential to outperform terrestrial renewables, while the planar array was closer to deployment readiness but less cost effective.
"In space, you potentially have the ability to position solar panels to always face the sun, which means power generation can be nearly continuous compared to the daily pattern on Earth," said senior author Wei He of King's College London. He emphasized that orbital panels would also benefit from stronger solar radiation than ground-based systems.
Space-based solar power would operate by orbiting panels beaming harvested energy down as microwaves to Earth receiving stations, where it would be converted to electricity and integrated into existing infrastructure. While the heliostat design showed the greatest promise, the planar design could still provide critical demonstration opportunities on shorter timescales.
Modeling suggested that heliostat-based systems could cut reliance on wind and solar by up to 80%, reduce battery usage by more than 70%, and lower costs significantly if development goals are met. However, to become cost competitive, annual system costs must fall to about 14 times those of Earth-based solar for the heliostat design, and 9 times for the planar array. Currently, costs remain one to two orders of magnitude higher.
The researchers argue that coordinated development of both designs would maximize progress, with near-term demonstration using planar arrays supporting long-term deployment of heliostat systems. Key challenges ahead include large-scale wireless power transmission tests, in-orbit robotic assembly, and addressing risks such as orbital debris and system degradation.
"This is the first paper to put space-based solar power into the energy system transition framework," He noted. "We're currently at a stage to transfer this blue-sky idea into testing at a large scale, and to begin discussing regulation and policymaking."
Research Report:Assess space-based solar power for European-scale power system decarbonization
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