The world has significantly boosted its capacity for solar power installations and production over the past decade. This boom in demand and supply came as a result of the global mission to achieve carbon neutrality in the attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change. Japan, however, is seeking sunlight from Earth’s orbit, and plans on beaming it to Earth. Soon, we could be saying goodbye to wires for power transmission, as the future of solar technology is advancing quickly.
The world is seeking better alternatives to conventional solar power
Conventional solar power, whilst being quite popular for its sustainable power solutions, still faces severe disadvantages that have made many people think twice about the technology. According to BKV Energy, some of these disadvantages include, but are not limited to:
Intermittency and weather dependency
Reduces power output and efficiency
Space requirements and land use
The need for large installation areas results in habitat destruction and potential agricultural conflicts
Environmental concerns
Production is energy-intensive and requires rare materials
Toxic materials such as lead and cadmium pose threats during production and disposal
Visual pollution
For these reasons alone, people have started seeking better alternatives, with Japan seeking beyond the Earth. The Japanese have made a breakthrough in an unconventional approach, and now they plan on beaming sunlight from the Earth’s orbit. Could the answer truly be space-based?
Japan wants to beam sunlight from orbit
According to I-Connect007, Japan Space Systems has been developing a revolutionary project that will harness solar power in space and beam it back to Earth. If successful, this pioneering project, called OHISAMA, will change the production and supply of clean power forever. Japan Space Systems plans on going into full operation later this year, and soon, we could truly be powered by space-based solar power.
How Japan plans on beaming solar power
A 180kg satellite will be launched into Earth’s low orbit at an altitude of 400 km. The satellite will comprise a 2-square-meter photovoltaic (PV) panel to harness solar energy directly in space and convert it into power. This power will be stored in onboard batteries and eventually beamed to a receiving station on Earth in the form of microwave energy.
The goal of OHISAMA is to pave the way for future large-scale SBSP systems to provide uninterrupted, clean power from space. Japan is not the only one interested in SBSP, as China wants to power the Earth with the first-ever orbital solar plant.
The implications of their breakthrough
While OHISAMA’s SBSP system will reportedly beam 1 kW, which can only power a small appliance, Japan Space Systems adviser Koichi Ijichi believes:
“This mission marks a pivotal step towards realizing space-based solar power stations that could provide clean energy irrespective of weather conditions on Earth.”
According to a NASA report from January 2024, SBSP has raised some concerns due to high costs and severe greenhouse gas emissions from launching assemblies into orbit with rockets. The report argues that this could ‘tip the scales’ and result in SBSP being less eco-friendly than conventional solar technologies.
However, RatedPower reported that advances in launch vehicles, solar panels, and wireless transmission could gradually make SBSP viable, given that orbital systems can generate up to 13 times more energy than ground-based panels, potentially matching the output of nuclear plants.
The only constant in life is change. As our demand for clean energy continues to increase, so must our ambition to seek new and innovative approaches to meet these demands. Space-based solar power is like something from a sci-fi movie, but as research and technology advance, it could soon become a viable solution to meet our energy demands. Other unique satellite designs, such as Germany’s solar panel of the future, are also being tested in space.
AloJapan.com