The European Space Agency (ESA) is investigating the feasibility of space-based solar power (SBSP) as a potential solution to Europe’s clean energy needs. With the Solaris program, the ESA is exploring the idea of massive Earth-orbiting solar farms, which could collect solar radiation 24/7, with no disruptions from nightfall or cloud cover. The energy would then be transmitted to a receiver station on Earth through microwaves or laser beams, where it would be converted into electricity and delivered to the grid. If successful, SBSP could address some of the challenges facing the transition to clean energy and could help Europe achieve its net-zero targets by 2050.
The idea of SBSP has been around since the space race, and the technology to make it a reality is already being demonstrated on Earth and in space today. The ESA believes that space-based solar power provides a continuously available, inexhaustible, sustainable, and scalable source of energy that could not only help fight climate change but also build up energy security. However, there are still many engineering and policy challenges that would need to be overcome to make this ultimate energy source a reality.
Transitioning to clean energy is an urgent imperative, and Europe has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. However, relying only on existing renewable and low-carbon energy solutions can be limiting, as intermittency of supply, pressures on land use, scalability, and toxic waste can hamper their rapid and effective deployment. SBSP could provide a competitive and sustainable solution to these challenges, according to two independent cost-benefit studies from UK company Frazer-Nash and Germany’s Roland Berger.
The ESA is partnering with European industry to further assess the technical feasibility of SBSP and consider other benefits and risks. The agency has identified some of the key technical challenges that need to be addressed, such as delivering high-efficiency photovoltaic and power conversion, ensuring accuracy in beam formation, and deploying, assembling, and maintaining large-scale structures in space. The ESA is also asking organizations to assess potential risks to the health of humans, animals, or plants in the vicinity of receiver stations, as well as how the beams will interact with the ionosphere, the atmosphere, and the environment.
Despite the promise of SBSP, some challenges remain. For example, the embodied carbon of deployment and potential impacts of beam interference on aviation and ground infrastructure need to be investigated further. Kim Borgen, founder of space technology company Alvior, believes that SBSP represents a paradigm shift in space. He notes that the reason we still burn fossil fuels for the majority of our electricity is that it is predictable, reliable, stable, and flexible. SBSP has the potential to address these limitations and provide a sustainable energy source that could help fight climate change and build up energy security.
In conclusion, the Solaris program of the European Space Agency is exploring the possibility of space-based solar power as a potential solution to Europe’s clean energy needs. SBSP has the potential to address the limitations of existing renewable and low-carbon energy solutions and provide a continuously available, inexhaustible, sustainable, and scalable source of energy. However, several technical and policy challenges need to be addressed before SBSP becomes a reality. The ESA is partnering with European industry to assess the technical feasibility and consider the benefits and risks of SBSP.
By Impact Lab
