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.
Building space based solar panels factory.
Meanwhile the united states has been sitting on space based solar power technology since 1968 when nasa advisor and apollo 11 project manager peter glaser published his concept of a solar power.
In the 1970s nasa and the u s.
Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses.
In fact this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story reason written by isaac asimov.
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.
Power for spacecraft propulsion electric propulsion sometimes called solar electric propulsion.
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.
Power to run the sensors active heating cooling and telemetry.
The concept of space based solar power is not new.
China thinks a solar power project in space to beam energy from the sun back for use on earth is a viable idea.