Space-based solar power hardware ready for actual testing in space

The cheapest way to generate electricity on Earth is through solar power. It's not easy to build it on Earth because of the darkness and clouds that get in the way. There are a few people who like the idea of putting solar panels where they can produce electricity around the clock.

It comes with a number of drawbacks, including high launch costs, inability to service the hardware, and the challenge of getting the power back down to where it is needed. Because the energy market is changing so rapidly, and because we don't know what the space-based solar hardware would look like, it's hard to determine how these trade-offs play out.

The technology needed to get space-based solar to work has been developed thanks to some funding from a private donor. Thanks to this morning's successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, they are ready to put some test hardware in space.

What do we need?

The Caltech team's intended design for a space-based power plant is shaped by economics, with the most expensive part being the trip to the moon. It's important to get the most power out of the weight. The support structure for the functional hardware is minimized in order to limit weight. The panels are self-contained and have their own structural support. The panels will form a larger surface, but will operate on their own.

The Caltech team needs to test a lightweight power transmitter, a thin membranes that can be deployed in space, and different photovoltaic materials that can be placed on the flexible Membrane. That is what is currently in space on their test hardware.

MAPLE is a set of lightweight, flexible microwave transmitters that are capable of the precise timing required to make a large collection of transmitters all transmit to a single receiver. It is possible to test the ability to direct transmission with two different receivers on board.

DOLCE will cover a surface area of around four square meters once it is in the air. The framework used to support the solar array is being tested.

Caltech isn't saying what ALBA stands for, but it will be a collection of 22 different photovoltaic materials that will be used to determine which will hold up well to space.

The hardware is attached to a vehicle that carries small satellites to their intended destinations. DOLCE tests should be done relatively quickly, with the results captured by onboard video cameras and streamed back to Earth. The tests of the photovoltaic materials are expected to take about six months to complete.

First steps

This was done by a university team, not a private company. We don't know which technologies will work for generating and sending power from space. The rate at which the cost of Earth-based renewable power has been dropping is a very high risk for a private company. It is likely that we will have to wait a long time before we can deploy an operational space-based solar plant.

That timing may be appropriate in some respects. Estimates show that we can get 70% of our power from renewable sources. As issues like seasonal changes and rare weather events become more difficult to manage, decarbonizing the power grid becomes more difficult.

Only a small number of places on the planet are close to that 70 percent point. We probably won't face the difficult challenges for a long time. It is possible that space-based solar power will be available by the time we need to take the most difficult and expensive steps to decarbonize.