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According to the Chinese government Daily Science and Technology, Chinese scientists plan to build and launch small power plants in the stratosphere between 2021 and 2025, with a megawatt plant planned for 2030 and a gigawatts installation before 2050. Without atmospheric interference or loss of seasonal light, these solar farms space could be an inexhaustible source of clean energy. The Chinese Academy of Space Technology said such a facility would reliably provide 99% of the time and six times more than the Earth's solar power plants.
Of course, many challenges are associated with this sci-fi survey. Such a plant would be very heavy – around 1,000 tonnes – and it would be difficult to put the equipment into orbit. Researchers therefore wonder if the station could be built in space using robots and 3D printing. The effects of microwave radiation on the atmosphere will also need to be studied.
But this is clearly not beyond the realms of the possible. Many researches are already exploring this technology – Japan has been talking about it for a decade, as space programs increasingly understand the technology needed to efficiently return energy to Earth. Japan has found a solution in 2015 using wireless transmission, while the California Institute of Technology announced last year that it has created a prototype capable of capturing and transmitting solar energy from the home. space using light tiles. China's proposal seems to suggest converting solar energy into electrical energy in space before returning to Earth using a microwave or laser and enter the network via a ground receiving system.
China has really intensified its space program lately, reaching the dark side of the moon and growing the first plants on the lunar surface. The timing of this plan is ambitious, but its quest to become a space superpower suggests that this common science-fiction dream is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
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