Solar Beams In Space Will Soon Power Your City?
Researchers at Airbus Central Research and Technology and Blue Sky facilities have devised a way to capture sunlight and beam it out through space-based beams as a means of continuously powering cities with an alternative source of energy.
Solar power has long been a hallmark of the green energy game. We may have one of the coolest and most innovative ways to ensure that solar panels always give us energy. However, solar panels stop producing adequate power after the sun sets.
Reflections of solar rays cause any power that is still relayed but this amount is so abysmally low that it’s considered no longer powered. So some researchers over at Airbus’ Central Research & Technology and Blue Sky departments have thought about a way to transfer rays to solar panels constantly. This new process is called power beaming.
The concept is quite simple, according to Jean-Dominique Coste, who is responsible for this technology at Airbus. He says, “The potential of the technology is to capture sunlight and then beam it wirelessly. This energy would supply our cities, factories, homes, and even airplanes with electricity.
These beams are sent straight to an energy receiver. However, there is cause for concern about this technology and that this would be focused on solar energy, which is a lot of heat. Airbus has reassured us that even though this technology is designed to focus on moving targets. This technology can be made harmless to both humans and birds.
They have already succeeded in making a small-scale prototype that works without any issues. According to Yoann Thuex, an associate of Jean-Dominique Coste, they are looking at various designs to make this into a large-scale project. There is one thing for sure that they do know. The satellite gathering this energy must be at least 2 kilometers across.
The reason for the size is that their goal is to rival that of nuclear power plants. Solar panels in space at 36,000 Kilometers will produce roughly 50 times as much power as here on earth. This would be a massive amount of green and clean energy. It also won’t take up land at the cost of infostructure to move the said energy.
The Solar beams will be spread over a wider area. These solar beams will be spread and controlled to antennas that act like receivers. These antennae will convert the energy into usable energy and distribute it along the existing infrastructure.
The Solar beams transfer through clouds with minimal losses. This will allow for solar power to remain viable even during a storm. Helping to prevent outages. One of these geostationary satellites will be able to produce 2 gigawatts of power. This is equivalent to a nuclear power plant.
This New power system can replace nuclear power plants and the nuclear waste it produces, keeping us safer in the long run and reducing our chances for disaster. The environmental damage that is building one of these stations, though, will be astronomical.
Solar panels use a lot of rare earth metals. These are generally mined in foreign and domestic mines through strip mining. This is a very environmentally damaging process. The greenhouse gasses produced in making solar panels are comparable to cars.
This Satellite, though, solar beams won’t be sent to more solar panels. In fact, it could be a way to maximize the use of solar panels. This could be an alternative and greener option for using these rare materials. This will reduce the impact of solar panels overall on our environment. As solar panels in space are worth 50 times as much.
