{"id":76687,"date":"2022-11-22T12:30:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T01:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=76687"},"modified":"2022-11-22T12:01:20","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T01:01:20","slug":"the-race-to-develop-space-based-solar-power-is-heating-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-race-to-develop-space-based-solar-power-is-heating-up\/","title":{"rendered":"The race to develop space-based solar power is heating up"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Space-based solar power, or SBSP, refers to orbital systems that collect and harvest solar energy using\u00a0solar-powered satellites<\/a>\u2014enormous spacecraft with solar panels. Solar energy is converted into microwaves or lasers and then wirelessly transmitted via high-frequency radio waves to a fixed point on earth throughout the day. Once on the ground, a rectifying antenna, or rectenna, converts the electromagnetic energy into electricity and delivers it to the power grid for energy consumers.<\/p>\n

The main benefit of SBSP is its higher energy collection. Because it is\u00a0unaffected by the weather<\/a>\u00a0or time of day, it could provide clean, reliable and efficient energy for satellites and people living in remote communities and in disaster-hit areas worldwide.<\/p>\n

The concept of collecting solar power in space isn\u2019t new<\/a>; however, in recent years, there\u2019s been growing interest in developing SBSP partly due to pressure to meet\u00a0national<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0international climate-related goals<\/a>\u00a0and achieve national space plans.<\/p>\n

While some countries\u2014China, Japan, India, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States\u2014and the European Union are in the race to develop SBSP first, the two leading countries in this competition are China and the US.<\/p>\n

In recent decades, China has become increasingly interested in SBSP and appears to be the leader in this area. In 2008, SBSP was listed as a\u00a0key research program<\/a>. In March 2016, Zhang Yulin, a national lawmaker and deputy chief of the armament development department of the Central Military Commission, said that China would make use of<\/a> the space between the earth and the moon\u00a0for solar power and other industrial-development purposes. He linked SBSP to China\u2019s national goals,\u00a0declaring<\/a>, \u2018The earth\u2013moon space will be strategically important for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.\u2019<\/p>\n

In February 2019, construction of a \u00a5200 million<\/a>\u00a0($42 million) testing base commenced at Bishan District in Chongqing, Sichuan. The\u00a0China Academy for Space Technology\u2019s\u00a0vice-president, Li Ming, stated that China expects to be the first to build a\u00a0working solar power station in space\u00a0<\/a>with practical value.<\/p>\n

Chinese scientists expect to construct small to medium-sized solar power stations to be launched into the stratosphere to produce electricity\u00a0between now and 2025<\/a>\u00a0and build a megawatt-level\u00a0power station in 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In June, China\u00a0announced\u00a0<\/a>that it would launch an ambitious\u00a0space solar power plant program<\/a>\u00a0in 2028, two years ahead of the original schedule. At around the same time,\u00a0researchers from Xidian University successfully tested a\u00a075-metere-high steel structure<\/a>\u00a0to divert solar power from outer space.<\/p>\n

In the US, although NASA began researching SBSP technologies after\u00a0the Apollo program<\/a>\u00a0(1963\u20131972), the enormous projected costs meant that the idea wasn\u2019t pursued. Nonetheless, there has been\u00a0renewed interest in SBSP<\/a>\u00a0over the past few decades, including at NASA.<\/p>\n

The US Space Force\u00a0has also expressed interest, and the US Department of Defense is researching SBSP for military purposes.<\/p>\n

There is also interest in SBSP at American universities. In 2013, the California Institute of Technology established an SBSP\u00a0after a donation of\u00a0more than US$100 million<\/a>. Last year, the university\u00a0announced plans<\/a>\u00a0to launch a test array by 2023.<\/p>\n

It is only a matter of time before SBSP is achieved, potentially creating a new age in clean energy. This could open up opportunities for collaboration as well as assist deep space exploration programs and provide an energy source for moon bases and lunar surface operations. SBSP may become key in what economist Pippa Malmgren calls\u00a0\u2018space-based solutions to earthbound problems\u2019<\/a>.\u00a0For instance, the resiliency of SBSP means that it could be used as a\u00a0backup energy source<\/a>\u00a0in the case of power shortages, blackouts or attacks on subnational or national energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n

However, developing SBSP is not without technical and non-technical challenges. One of the main barriers is the high cost for things like manufacturing and transportation, and the potential need for significant investment in transmission infrastructure. Other challenges to consider are the\u00a0efficiency<\/a>\u00a0of wireless power transmission, the vulnerability of solar panels to space debris, and the impact on the environment and people. Nonetheless, it is expected that the costs will inevitably decline given the increasing interest from private companies in this area and\u00a0technological advances<\/a>.<\/p>\n

China appears to be progressing at a faster and more concerted pace. It is already a contender in the\u00a0global clean energy race<\/a>\u00a0and harbours ambitious space plans, and it could become the leading space power if it develops SBSP before the US and the rest of the world. That could result in SBSP becoming an essential element of China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative, with Beijing offering\u00a0this form of clean energy to other countries<\/a>\u00a0alongside opportunities for greater economic development and connectivity.<\/p>\n

In a broader context, the increased interest in developing SBSP may extend the geopolitical domain of competition to geospatial dimensions. The growing rivalry between the US and China on earth has already resulted in competing plans to achieve scientific and economic hegemony in space, including for space-based energy, mining, manufacturing and\u00a0weapons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More importantly, perhaps, there\u2019s also the increasing militarisation of space due to competition for military dominance. China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army handles all space planning, and Beijing has already\u00a0designated space<\/a>\u00a0as a military area. China\u2019s 2019 white paper emphasised a growing role in space for the PLA\u2019s Air Force, and a\u00a0recent report<\/a>\u00a0noted that China now has the technology, hardware and knowledge to coordinate a war from space. To further support its space ambitions, China has increased the size of its total operational space fleets by around 70%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The US\u2013China rivalry further adds to the militarisation of space\u2014China wants to build lunar bases by 2027 and the US by 2025. Based on their existing rivalry, competition between the countries to build bases on planets (such as Mars) is possible. In this context, it\u2019s not unrealistic to imagine that\u00a0geopolitical<\/a>\u00a0and geoeconomic tensions on earth will also be found in outer space or considered an extension of terrestrial activity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Space-based solar power, or SBSP, refers to orbital systems that collect and harvest solar energy using\u00a0solar-powered satellites\u2014enormous spacecraft with solar panels. Solar energy is converted into microwaves or lasers and then wirelessly transmitted via high-frequency …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1639,"featured_media":76690,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[52,2464,674,1640,31],"class_list":["post-76687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-china","tag-renewable-energy","tag-satellite","tag-space","tag-united-states"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe race to develop space-based solar power is heating up | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-race-to-develop-space-based-solar-power-is-heating-up\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The race to develop space-based solar power is heating up | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Space-based solar power, or SBSP, refers to orbital systems that collect and harvest solar energy using\u00a0solar-powered satellites\u2014enormous spacecraft with solar panels. 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