China’s programme to launch a solar power plant in space has been brought forward by two years. The plan is to beam energy back down to Earth, South China Morning Post reported. The concept is to collect solar power in outer space by solar power satellites and then distribute it to the planet Earth. Notably, sunlight is brighter outside the atmosphere.
The plan for the first launch of China’s space-based solar power project is now scheduled for 2028. The report added that the testing of technology used to transmit energy from the power plant will be done by a trial satellite orbiting at a distance of around 400km.
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As per the SCMP report, the satellite will “convert solar energy to microwaves or lasers and then direct the energy beams to various targets, including fixed locations on Earth and moving satellites.”
China’s plans have been detailed in a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Chinese Space Science and Technology.
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Earlier this month, reports emerged that the United Kingdom is apparently planning to build a solar power station in space, Space.com reported, adding that the project will use it to beam energy down to Earth using lasers.
The UK Space Energy Initiative was reportedly joined by over 50 British organisations including manufacturer Airbus, Cambridge University and satellite maker SSTL. US-based space agency NASA had proposed a similar plan but it didn’t progress.
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