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China would work on an experimental space station that would capture solar energy and transmit it to the ground.
China's official media recently announced that the country plans to build a solar power plant in orbit around the Earth, capable of capturing solar energy without any interference. The report comes from China's Science and Technology Daily (via the Sydney Morning Herald).
The construction of such a power plant is already underway in the city of Chongqing, according to the report.
The report goes on to state that "the source could be an inexhaustible source of clean energy for humans". Among them: the plant could provide energy reliably 99% of the time, at an intensity six times higher than solar parks. The Sydney Morning Herald also writes that "electric cars can be recharged anytime and anywhere," although what that means is unclear.
The Chinese solar power plant would convert solar energy into electrical energy, then transmit it to Earth via a laser or microwave to a receiving station. From there, the energy would be transferred into the electricity grid.
Nothing new under the sun
This is certainly not the first time that a space solar system is proposed as a possibility. This concept has existed for decades, at least as far as Isaac Rakim's short story, "The Reason," from 1941, is one of the following examples: India has been discussing space solar energy in recent years . Caltech has a current Space Solar Power project – its website offers updates on progress.
China has done the same, but this latest report reveals some additional details. The country plans to launch "small to medium sized solar power plants" in the stratosphere between 2021 and 2025, while a "solar-powered megawatt" is planned for 2030.
Researchers recognize the extreme technical challenges of such a system, including the enormous weight of a large solar space station and the viability, efficiency and safety of energy transfer over long periods of time. distances.
But the Vice President of Chinese Academy of Space Technology, Li Ming, said that China should become the first country to build a solar power plant of practical value. (Japanese JAXA has already claimed to be the world leader in space research on solar energy).
We also need to ask whether it is worthwhile to focus more on solar energy in space or whether this research and money would be better served to improve and deploy solar energy on Earth.
Is sustainable solar energy in space not too far away? What do you think?
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