Solar power is dependent on the weather and the time of day. The idea is that you could have unrestricted access to direct sunlight in space.
The cost and efficiency of getting that hardware into space remains a mystery, as well as the nearly impossible task of getting that energy down to Earth.
That's why it's so intriguing that researchers from the California Institute of Technology have sent a space-based solar power array into space aboard a rocket.
Caltech professor of electrical and medical engineering Ali Hajimiri said that the prototype is a major step forward.
Scientists have packed the space solar power demonstrator with experimental technology and it is weighing over 100 pounds. Three distinct experiments are included in the SSPD.
TheDOLCE is a small scale test of the architecture that will form a full-sized array.
The most exciting part of the MAPLE is the microwave array. This experiment addresses the challenge of using wireless power transmission to send power back to Earth by testing an array of microwave power transmitters that will beam energy to two target receiver in space.
ALBA is the final one. It is a collection of 32 different types of photovoltaic cells, the devices that collect and convert energy from sunlight. The test will be used to find the cells that are the most resistant to space.
According to the project's other co-director, a professor of civil engineering at Caltech and a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, DOLCE is going to be deployed as soon as scientists get access to the system.
He said in the release that they should know if DOLCE works immediately due to the relatively simple nature of the test and a live camera feed.
In ALBA's case, it will take up to six months to evaluate the technology.
The test could be a milestone in determining if space based solar power is worth the investment.
The US military is using a satellite to beam solar power down to earth.
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