Space could play a key role in helping the European Union reach its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a study released this week.
Researchers from King’s College London and China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University proposed that space-based solar power could account for 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by the EU’s deadline.
How it works: The study analyzed two NASA designs for space-based solar power:
- A heliosat swarm: A beehive collection of reflectors to direct sunlight at a concentrator, which collects the energy and beams it via microwave down to Earth.
- A mature planar array: The array collects sunlight on the sun-facing layer of the spacecraft, and has microwave transmitters on the Earth-facing side to beam power down to Earth.
When researchers tried to estimate how much energy these designs could supply to Europe’s power grid, they found huge benefits over terrestrial renewable options—which are weather-dependent and prone to inconsistent collection rates.
The space based solar panels could provide the regular power to fuel Europe’s needs, and lessen its reliance on fossil fuels, researchers said. Even from an economic perspective, they said, the idea of launching a constellation of solar panels to beam power back home isn’t too far-fetched.
Assuming that falling launch costs will continue their trajectory, researchers estimated that space-based solar power would cost 7% to 15% less than a ground-based solar system—crucially, because of the regularity of transmission, solar power would also cut battery usage by more than two thirds.
Side-effects: As with all forward looking studies, the model isn’t without its caveats.
Space based solar power systems would need to wait years, potentially decades, before falling input costs make these systems economically viable. These systems also depend on continued advancements, namely solar cells and the power beaming and receiving hardware.
Space based solar power systems would also need to contend with the state of orbit in the future. Any negative shifts in the levels of orbital debris could induce a failure-to-launch scenario, the researchers said.
