Europe is looking at space-based solar power to address energy crisis

At a meeting later this year, the European Space Agency will ask its member states to fund a space-based solar power project.

The program would explore the potential of space-based solar power to provide clean energy and contribute to decarbonization by working with European industry to assess technical feasibility, benefits, implementation options, commercial opportunities and risks of the emerging technology.

Satellites appear to be suspended above a fixed spot on Earth as a result of the collection of solar energy with huge solar array ingeostationary. Without the obstruction by Earth's atmosphere, space-based solar power plants would generate more energy than Earth-based plants, and send it to the ground for conversion into electricity.

There is a solar power plant in space. The UK would like to have one by the year 2035.

The Solaris program is a response to the current climate change crisis on Earth and could be a source of clean, affordable, continuous and abundant energy. The agency said in a statement that a decision would be made by the year 2025.

The director general of the European Space Agency said that space-based solar power would be an important step towards carbon neutrality. Two recent independent studies recommend that investments be made to advance the SBSP technologies.

Two cost versus benefit studies on "Space-Based Solar Power" were completed earlier this month.

"For the project to succeed, we have the main building blocks already, but let me be clear: for the project to succeed, much technology development and funding is still needed."

In November, the Solaris proposal will be presented to the council of ministers, but how much funding is being sought is not known. The ultimate goal is to help Europe transition to a net zero carbon world by the year 2050.

A number of countries are interested in the concept of SBSP, which was first introduced in the 1960's. While China is planning in-orbit tests before the end of the decade, the U.K. expressed its interest in an SBSP system earlier this year.

Caltech is working on hardware for harvesting solar energy collected in space while NASA is interested in studying the topic.

Space-based solar power faces major challenges in the form of technological, economic, policy and other hurdles.

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