Scientists beam solar power to Earth from space for 1st time ever

[Judi Lynn]

By Robert Lea published about 13 hours ago

The Space Solar Power Demonstrator's MAPLE experiment was able to wirelessly transfer collected solar power to receivers in space and direct energy to Earth.



An image of the interior of MAPLE, the instrument aboard the Space Solar Power Demonstrator that achieved the wireless transmission of energy through space. (Image credit: Caltech)

A space solar power prototype has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly beam power through space and direct a detectable amount of energy toward Earth for the first time. The experiment proves the viability of tapping into a near-limitless supply of power in the form of energy from the sun from space.

Because solar energy in space isn’t subject to factors like day and night, obscuration by clouds, or weather on Earth, it is always available. In fact, it is estimated that space-based harvesters could potentially yield eight times more power than solar panels at any location on the surface of the globe.

The wireless power transfer was achieved by the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE), an array of flexible and lightweight microwave power transmitters, which is one of the three instruments carried by the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1).

SSPD-1 was launched in January 2023 as part of the California Institute of Technology's (Caltech) Space Solar Power Project (SSPP), the primary goal of which is to harvest solar power in space and then transmit it to the surface of Earth.

More:
https://www.space.com/space-solar-power-satellite-beams-energy-1st-time

[cachukis]

1. Very.

[Effete Snob]

2. Yes, please let's aim a huge ass microwave beam at earth

And hope it stays lined up where we want it.

Unless, of course, we’d like to fry the testicles off of every male in some unfriendly place in our hemisphere. Then we just need to aim it.

I want to live right next door to that downlink receiver.

[BWdem4life]

3. I'm guessing

you have Tucker Carlson in mind...

[CloudWatcher]

4. A last resort

Last edited Wed Jun 14, 2023, 08:41 AM - Edit history (1)

Color me over-the-top skeptical. From the horrific lost energy (5% end-to-end efficiency is quoted), to the political certainty of everyone not-in-control assuming it's a weapon, the idea that this is viable source of clean energy is crazy. People are afraid of 5G and WiFi, they're not going to be happy being subject to something that could actually fry them if the engineers get it wrong (or a malevolent agent gets control).

But ... I'm neither a microwave engineer nor a PR person. Maybe it could be engineered to be totally safe, regardless of the accidental (or intentional) misuse of the system.

Joke: I wonder how the power beamed from space would compare to waste energy from all our existing cell towers. Perhaps I should get a grant to study making giant antennas to collect all that free energy

A few of the pros and cons

[SCantiGOP]

5. I remember reading of this possibility decades ago

And it has often been the subject of science fiction.

People are always scared of new technology. I remember humorist James Thurber’s essays from 100 years ago. One of his stock characters was an old Aunt who insisted that they keep something plugged into every outlet so the electricity wouldn’t leak out.