Paper: GS – III, Subject: Science and Technology, Topic: Space Technology, Issue: Space-Based Solar Power.
Context:
Space-Based Solar Power examined for feasibility, highlighting technological promise, cost barriers, and policy challenges in clean energy transition.
Key Takeaways:
WHAT IS SPACE-BASED SOLAR POWER?
- Space-based solar power refers to generating electricity using solar panels placed in space (orbit or Moon) instead of Earth.
- These systems collect sunlight continuously (24/7) without atmospheric obstruction or night-time interruption.
- The energy is then converted into microwaves and transmitted wirelessly to Earth, where it is converted back into electricity.
STATUS:
- A Japanese company, Shimizu Corporation, proposed a futuristic idea called the “Lunar Ring.”
- It involves building an 11,000 km-long belt of solar panels along the Moon’s equator.
- Robots would construct this structure using lunar soil, and the system would beam energy to Earth.
- A more practical version involves satellites in Earth orbit collecting solar energy and transmitting it.
- Terrestrial solar power and battery storage are becoming cheaper and more efficient.
- This makes space-based solar power economically less attractive at present.
CORE CONCLUSION:
- Space-based solar power is a scientifically feasible but economically impractical idea at present.
- Despite its potential as a clean energy solution, it faces serious cost, technological, and logistical barriers.
- For now, it remains a futuristic concept limited by poor economics, while Earth-based renewable energy continues to dominate.
Source: (The Hindu)
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