Photo: Space-Based Solar Power involves harvesting sunlight - Credit: A. Treuer/ESA

Space-Based Solar: Meeting Future Energy Demands (Space Tech)

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Space Solar Power: A Key to Meeting Future Energy Demands – by Frederic Eger – Photo: Space-Based Solar Power involves harvesting sunlight – Credit: A. Treuer/ESA – Experts warn that the US may fall behind China in the development of space-based solar power, a crucial component for global energy needs. Experts predict that modernizing and improving the resilience of the power grid by 2050 requires a $21.4 trillion investment, with $17.3 trillion needed to meet new energy demands. Energy represents roughly 10-11% of global GDP, making this a multi-trillion-dollar market opportunity.
China will be producing SBSP in less than 20 years, and the US will be buying from them. The technology collects solar power in space using satellites and beams it back to Earth using microwave or infrared laser transmission. Space-based systems deliver power 24/7, unaffected by weather or nighttime, potentially producing five to six times more energy than ground-based panels covering the same area.
The timing is critical for developing this technology, as the US East Coast power grid alone needs the equivalent of 15 nuclear power plants’ worth of new capacity within the next decade to meet expected demand. At the same time, coal plant retirements and extreme weather events continue to strain grid reliability.
The technology allows power to be beamed precisely where needed, potentially bypassing the decade-long process of building new transmission lines. During emergencies, portable receiver stations could be quickly deployed to restore power to disaster-stricken areas, avoiding the problems caused by outages during Hurricane Milton and storms in Texas that caused blackouts in 2021.

” The primary driver for space-based solar power (SBSP) is the pressing and immediate need to find an alternative energy source that could wean humanity from its dependency on fossil fuels. ESA’s Solaris project aims to provide Earth with a limitless, renewable energy source.  

Dr Nicol Caplin

The United States faces organizational challenges in developing this technology, as it falls between multiple federal agencies’ jurisdictions, with no clear lead. The Air Force Research Laboratory has already successfully demonstrated key components of the technology, including power beaming systems that operate safely within human exposure limits. Experts have estimated that with proper support and investment, the US could deploy its first gigawatt-scale system within 10 to 15 years, with a kilowatt-scale system set to launch in early 2026.
The geopolitical stakes are high, as the ability to build massive structures in space has profound implications for national security. American SBSP advocates have achieved legislative milestones, such as introducing language in the NASA-DOE Interagency Coordination Bill (HR 1368), which calls for “ground- and space-based technology necessary for the transmission to the Earth’s surface of solar energy collected in space.”
To win the space energy race and secure America’s energy independence, Congress should direct the Departments of Energy and Commerce to complete a joint 120-day technical and economic feasibility study of SBSP, with support from NASA and the Department of Defense.

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