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The first solar power plant in space

China plans to build a solar power plant in space by 2028, wirelessly transmitting electricity from an altitude of 400 km.





Experimental transmission of microwave electricity on the ground.  Photo: Dong Shiwei

Experimental transmission of microwave electricity on the ground. Image: Dong Shiwei

According to the new plan published on June 2 in the magazine Chinese Space Science and Technology, a satellite will be launched to test wireless power transmission technology from space to the ground. In the paper, the researchers say the satellite will convert solar energy into microwaves or lasers and direct the beams of energy to a variety of targets, including fixed locations on Earth and satellites. flying. The energy level produced is 10 kW, enough to meet the needs of several households.

But the technology can greatly scale up, becoming an effective solution to help achieve zero carbon emissions, according to Professor Dong Shiwei of the Laboratory of Cosmic Microwave Science and Technology of the Academy of Sciences. and China Technology in Xi’an. Dong and colleagues said the plan was first drafted in 2014 and changed to accommodate recent technological advancements as well as new situations at home and abroad. In the paper, the team shares the unprecedented technological challenges of building the first solar power plant in space.

For example, transmitting high-energy microwaves over long distances requires antennas hundreds or thousands of meters long. Any movement from the solar wind, gravity or propulsion can cause transmission efficiency and accuracy to drop drastically. Other issues include cooling many essential components, assembling large infrastructure in orbit over multiple launches, transmitting high-frequency microwave beams through the atmosphere in all weather, preventing damage from asteroids, space junk or targeted attacks. According to Dong, Chinese scientists and engineers have made some great achievements in antenna control in recent years.

Under the new plan, a large solar power plant in space will be built in four phases. Two years after the first launch, the program will send another more powerful satellite to a geostationary orbit 36,000 km from Earth to conduct more experiments. The 10 MW power plant will begin transmitting electricity for military and civilian use by 2035. By 2050, the plant’s electrical capacity will increase to 2 gigawatts, equivalent to an affordable nuclear power plant. commercially.

An unnamed researcher in Beijing said that a solar farm in space can operate more efficiently on the ground by generating electricity 24/7. However, the health effects of microwaves on people living near receiving stations are unknown.

An Khang (Follow SCMP)

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