Starlink promises to provide internet access to the entire planet through its constellation of orbiting satellites. The American University of Caltech hopes to be able to make the same promise in a few years, but with the energy.
At the beginning of January, it just launched an orbital solar power plant (CSO) demonstrator, a major first for the scientific world. Today photovoltaic production represents only 4% of the world’s energy.
The sun is slowed down on Earth by the day-night cycle and the vagaries of the weather. To free himself from these constraints, the scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky proposes to send solar panels into orbit. They would then have the Sun’s rays permanently available.
Faced with the complexity of transporting energy from space to Earth, the scientific world is putting this project aside. NASA will attempt several ground demonstrations in the 70s and 80s without going much further.
A unique experience
© Caltech
But everything has just changed with the Caltech demonstrator. Funded by DARPA (an experimental branch of the US military), this unprecedented mission hopes to deliver results quickly.
More than 500 kilometers above our heads, the small spacecraft of 50 kilograms will set up the first orbital solar station in human history. In all, the scientists will test 32 different photovoltaic cells. The objective is to find the most profitable chemical composition.
Once the energy is created, it will be sent back to Earth by a microwave antenna. The flow of energy will be captured on the ground by a state-of-the-art reception system before transforming everything into electricity for the general public.
A source of energy without risk?
Far from being without risk, sending a microwave flux through the atmosphere raises several questions. Naturalists are concerned about the impact of such an energy source on bird populations. The aviation world is also up against this “dangerous” and “inefficient” project.
The civilian population is also in potential danger with an avalanche of microwaves in the atmosphere. If for the moment the demonstrator of the University of Caltech, by its size, does not present any danger, the scientists remain very cautious about the long-term consequences of a CSO.
CSO: an attractive solution
The Caltech University demonstrator should deliver its first results in a few months, while research continues both in the country of Uncle Sam and in other nations such as China, Europe and Japan.
At the end of last year, the Middle Kingdom had an energy reception antenna installed. Xi’an University, behind this result, announced that it had achieved “a world-leading breakthrough” with its “Zhuri” system.
Ultimately, the deployment of CSO could put an end to “energy white zones”. If these projects interest, the development work is still long before supplying electricity to the whole Earth. During a feasibility study, NASA estimated the development cost around 1.6 billion dollars.
