John Bucknell, CEO of Virtus Solis Technologies, provides a comparison of space-based solar power reference designs and their economics.
The U.S. White House Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy has released its long awaited study on Space Based Solar Power. According to the Executive Summary, “This study evaluates the potential benefits, challenges, and options for NASA to engage with growing global interest in space based solar power.” From the conclusion: “Our first-order assessment has shown that two notional SBSP systems, using existing or near-term technology, are very expensive but may produce GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions comparable to existing renewable electricity production technologies. Some major drivers of cost and GHG emissions for SBSP include launch, space hardware manufacturing, disposal of massive satellites, and in-space assembly of large systems. However, our sensitivity analyses demonstrated that there are ways to significantly drive down the cost and emissions of SBSP systems.” *** Peter Garretson provides commentary in The National Interest.
ThalesAlenia Space released their “Pre-Phase A System Study of a Commercial-Scale Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) System for Terrestrial Needs” study exploring the feasibility and preliminary analysis of a concept for collection of solar energy in space for wireless transmission to Earth.
Swiss company Astrostrom GMBH, headed by astronautical artist and researcher Arthur R. Woods, has presented an ambitious plan to provide power from space.
Caltech’s Space Solar Power Demonstrator that was launched into orbit in January 2023 is operational and has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and to beam detectable power to Earth for the first time.
Space Solar is a company established in the UK as a commercial entity for ownership and delivery of the Space-Based Solar power development programme as outlined in Space Energy Initiative.
The Space Energy Initiative is a UK organization that will bring together government, research and industry in the space and energy sectors to develop and deliver a co-ordinated programme of technology development and demonstration.
The ESA SOLARIS Space-based Solar Power Initiative will consist of system studies, technology developments, stakeholder engagement and research activities to mature the technical, economic and programmatic feasibility of Space-based Solar Power (SBSP) for terrestrial clean energy needs. An Activity Plan was issued in December 2022.
Germany consulting firm Roland Berger has conducted a comprehensive cost-benefit study and impact analysis of a space-based solar power.
UK’s analysis by Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd. on Space Based Solar Power: De-risking the pathway to Net Zero.
Clean Energy from Space: Has Space Solar Power’s Time Come? National Space Society updated position paper on space solar power.
National Space Society Director Al Globus on why the interest in space solar power is beginning to take off.
Beyond Earth Institute’s national strategy for space solar power and associated recommended Space Policy Directive .
Virtus Solis’s factory-built, high economy of scale solution to energy production is targeted at that global scale primary energy market.
The Aerospace Corporation’s position paper on a near term investment decision on space-based solar power
First demonstration of wireless power transmission in space.
National Space Society position paper on a Public/Private COTS-Type Program to Develop Space Solar Power.
Naval Research Lab report on Opportunities and Challenges for Space Solar for Remote Installations (published by National Space Society).
UK based International Electric Company’s space solar power system called CASSIOPeiA .
Solar Space Technologies is an Australian-based company planning to deliver a solar power satellite into geostationary orbit to supply baseload energy to the Australian grid by 2027.
National Space Society position paper on utilizing SPS to enable a green future with economic growth.
National Space Society space solar power resource page.
CalTech research on photovoltaic conversion and RF power transfer for space solar power applications summarized in an AIAA paper.
Final Report – SPS-ALPHA: The First Practical Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large Phased Array (A 2011-2012 NASA NIAC Phase 1 Project).
Space Solar Power Institute – Chartered in 1997, the Space Solar Power Institute is a non-profit 501(c)3 educational corporation, organized in the public interest to educate the public about Space Solar Power and the clean baseload energy transformation which defines why, when and how SSP must be built.