Building Space Based Solar Panels

Power to run the sensors active heating cooling and telemetry.

Building space based solar panels.

Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses. It is hard to imagine accomplishing a factor of 100 reduction in launch costs. The two most commonly discussed designs for sbsp are a large deeper space microwave transmitting satellite and a smaller nearer laser transmitting. These panels convert solar power into either a microwave or a laser and beam uninterrupted power down to earth.

China is planning to build the world s first solar power station in space to provide inexhaustible clean energy according to a story in science and technology daily the official newspaper of. In fact this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story reason written by isaac asimov. Science fiction writer isaac asimov is credited with bringing the idea of space based solar power projects to prominence in 1941. In 1999 nasa initiated a 22 million study investigating the feasibility of space based solar power.

For both uses a key figure of merit of the solar panels is the specific power watts generated divided by solar array mass which indicates on a relative basis how much. Space based solar power sbsp is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space and distributing it to earth potential advantages of collecting solar energy in space include a higher collection rate and a longer collection period due to the lack of a diffusing atmosphere and the possibility of placing a solar collector in an orbiting location where there is no night. The concept of space based solar power is not new. Space stations and satellites already use solar panel arrays for.

Space based solar power attracted considerable attention in the 1970s as the necessary individual technical components in essence photovoltaic cells satellite technology and wireless power. Power for spacecraft propulsion electric propulsion sometimes called solar electric propulsion. Apart from providing around the clock power on demand beamed from space the new solar cells panels and production processes being developed through the program could revolutionize space based.