Butterfly

Sep 22, 2023

Astrostrom/ESA

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Imagine the prospect of your household harnessing solar energy transmitted from space. While it may not occur in the near future, this concept holds potential for realization in the times ahead.

Space-based solar power stations have gained more attention than ever before in recent years.

Scientists are racing to test if this technology can capture solar energy and beam clean electricity to Earth. Solar panels stationed in space possess the ability to continuously capture limitless sunlight, free from the constraints of a setting sun. This characteristic renders them an exceptional and sustainable energy resource.

Experts are now wondering whether space-based solar power could provide electricity to Moon's future inhabitants.

The European Space Agency (ESA) along with a Switzerland-based company Astrostrom have proposed a new conceptual design called Greater Earth Lunar Power Station (GE⊕-LPS).

This futuristic concept might be extremely advantageous for large-scale solar power production, which could provide clean energy not just to Earthlings, but also to future moon habitats.

The new project is part of the ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform Campaign on "Clean Energy - New Ideas for Solar Power from Space."

According to the ESA release, this butterfly-shaped power station will most likely have "V-shaped solar panels with integrated antennas, deployed in a helix configuration extending more than a square kilometer end to end".

Theoretically, this station may deliver "megawatts of microwave power" to solar panel receivers on the lunar surface. The study envisages that this concept could supply constant 23 megawatts of electricity to carry out various lunar operations.

Moreover, the concept being put forth entails utilizing readily available lunar resources to minimize expenses and eliminate the need to transport an extensive array of infrastructure from Earth.

This lunar power station would be built with lunar resources, such as iron and sulfur recovered from the lunar surface, to manufacture pyrite for solar cells.

Conversely, solar power satellites would present a more practical option for deployment into geostationary Earth orbit when launched from the Moon, as opposed to satellites launched directly from our planet.

“Launching large numbers of gigawatt-scale solar power satellites into orbit from the surface of the Earth would run into the problem of a lack of launch capacity as well as potentially significant atmospheric pollution,” said Sanjay Vijendran, overseeing SOLARIS, a preparatory initiative to provide the groundwork for the practicality of space-based solar power to meet terrestrial clean energy demands.

“But once a concept like GE⊕-LPS has proven the component manufacturing processes and assembly concept of a solar power satellite in lunar orbit, it can then be scaled up to produce further solar power satellites from lunar resources to serve Earth,” added Vijendran.

Another appealing aspect of this idea is that it may allow future human explorers to live in these stations.

The station would be about 38,121 miles (61,350 kilometers) from the lunar surface at an Earth-Moon Lagrange point. Lagrange points are specific locations in space where objects positioned tend to maintain a stable and stationary presence.

At this proposed location, the station would serve as a link between Earth and Moon operations. Some of its modules would have artificial gravity settings to simulate Earth-like conditions for future astronauts' health.

Sanjay adds: “This would also create many other benefits in addition to providing sufficient clean energy for Earth, including the development of a cislunar transportation system, mining, processing, and manufacturing facilities on the Moon and in orbit resulting in a two-planet economy and the birth of a spacefaring civilization.”

Recently, Caltech researchers reached a significant milestone in the field of space-based solar power transfer. For the first time, their prototype successfully beamed a small quantity of electricity to Earth from space. Similar progress is expected in the coming years as technology continues to grow at a rapid rate to fulfill climate targets.

Nevertheless, this technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go before it can power over a billion homes on the planet.