According to an article on Space.com, the Pentagon has presented a report to the United States, urging them to take the lead in developing space-based solar power plants capable of “beaming” energy to Earth.
Although the technology could raise promising prospects for the future, the report estimates that a plant bigger than the International Space Station (ISS) would be capable of generating a mere 5-10 megawatts. That does, however, create an immense strategic opportunity for the US in terms of defense:
Beamed energy from space in quantities greater than 5 megawatts has the potential to be a disruptive game changer on the battlefield. [Space-based solar power] and its enabling wireless power transmission technology could facilitate extremely flexible ‘energy on demand’ for combat units and installations across and entire theater, while significantly reducing dependence on over-land fuel deliveries.
Nevertheless, the feasability of the idea has come a great way since it was first conceived. NASA first investigated space-based solar power in the 1970s, and concluded that was “technically feasible but not economically viable”. According to a former NASA technologist who led the program, it would have cost between $300 billion and $1 trillion to deliver the first kilowatt-hour to the ground.
Dramatical advances in technology probed NASA to return to the idea in the mid-1990s, yet despite a reduced cost estimate, the idea was still economically unattractive since oil was trading at $15 a barrel. Today, oil has surged to $80 a barrel, causing the economical outlook to change radically.
Another unexpected improvement came along with solar cell efficiency. Within the course of 10 years, efficiency has risen from 15% to over 40%, despite experts’ predictions that it would barely pass 25% by 2020.
Unfortunately, one thing that hasn’t changed as dramatically is the cost of launch. Significant progress in this field is still necessary.
Despite the drawbacks currently faced, the technology has enormous potential for the future:
a single kilometer-wide band of geosynchronous earth orbit experiences enough solar flux in one year to nearly equal the amount of energy contained within all known recoverable conventional oil reserves on Earth today.
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