It’s at all times fascinating once we are introduced with very totally different and educated views in regards to the feasibility of a proposed technological advance. I lately had this expertise once I noticed two units of articles about the identical extremely superior idea inside a short while window, however with utterly totally different assessments of their viability.
On this case, the idea is easy and has been round for a very long time in science fiction and speculative tales: seize gigawatts of photo voltaic vitality utilizing orbiting constructions (I hesitate to name them satellites) after which beam that vitality right down to Earth.
The idea has been written about for many years, is easy to explain in precept, and seems to supply many advantages with few downsides. Briefly, the plan is to make use of big photo voltaic panels to intercept among the huge photo voltaic vitality impinging on Earth, convert it to electrical energy, after which beam the resultant electrical vitality to ground-based stations from the place it might be distributed to customers. In idea, this is able to be a virtually environmentally “painless” supply of free vitality. What’s to not like?
It’s really extra than simply an “on paper” or speculative idea. There are a number of critical tasks underway, together with one on the California Institute of Know-how (Caltech) which is constructing a really small-scale model of among the wanted parts. They’ve been performing ground-based checks and have even launched some components in orbit for in-pace analysis in January 2023 (“In a First, Caltech’s House Photo voltaic Energy Demonstrator Wirelessly Transmits Energy in House”). The Wall Road Journal even had an upbeat article about it, “Beaming Photo voltaic Power From House Will get a Step Nearer”.
There are numerous technical advances to be resolved in the true world (really, they’re “out of this world”) points that need to be addressed. Word that the Caltech mission is funded up to now by a $100 million grant, all from a single benefactor.
The Caltech House Photo voltaic Energy Challenge launched their House Photo voltaic Energy Demonstrator (SSPD) to check a number of key parts of an formidable plan to reap solar energy in house and beam the vitality again to Earth. Briefly, it consists of three important experiments, every tasked with testing a special key expertise of the mission, Determine 1.
Determine 1 Caltech’s House Photo voltaic Energy Demonstrator from their House Photo voltaic Energy Challenge has three key subsystems, encompassing construction, photo voltaic cells, and energy switch. Supply: Caltech
The three segments are:
- Deployable on-Orbit ultraLight Composite Experiment (DOLCE): A construction measuring 6 toes by 6 toes that demonstrates the structure, packaging scheme and deployment mechanisms of the modular spacecraft that will finally make up a kilometer-scale constellation forming an influence station, Determine 2;
Determine 2 Engineers fastidiously decrease the DOLCE portion of the House Photo voltaic Energy Demonstrator onto the Vigoride spacecraft constructed by Momentus. Supply: Caltech
- ALBA: A group of 32 various kinds of photovoltaic (PV) cells, to allow an evaluation of the kinds of cells which can be the simplest within the punishing setting of house;
- Microwave Array for Energy-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE): An array of versatile light-weight microwave energy transmitters with exact timing management focusing the ability selectively on two totally different receivers to display wi-fi energy transmission at distance in house.
Scaling an indication unit as much as useable dimension is a significant enterprise. The researchers envision the system as being designed and constructed as a extremely modular, building-block structure. Every spacecraft will carry a square-shaped membrane measuring roughly 200 toes on either side. The membrane is made up of tons of or hundreds of smaller items which have PV cells embedded on one aspect and a microwave transmitter on the opposite.
Every spacecraft would function and maneuver in house by itself but in addition possess the power to hover in formation and configure an orbiting energy station spanning a number of kilometers with the potential to supply about 1.5 gigawatts of steady energy. A phased-array antenna would purpose the 10-GHz energy beam to a floor zone about 5 kilometers in diameter.
The idea is actually formidable. Maybe most difficult is the very harsh actuality that scaling up power-related tasks from a small-scale bench-size demonstration unit to full-scale functioning system is a extremely nonlinear course of. This is applicable the battery storage programs, photo voltaic and wind vitality harvesting, and different sources.
Expertise exhibits that there’s an exponential enhance in difficulties and points as bodily dimension and energy ranges; the one query is “what’s that exponent worth?” Nonetheless, the idea is smart and appears so easy; we simply need to hold transferring the expertise alongside and we’ll get there, proper?
I used to be nearly satisfied, however then I noticed a powerful counterargument in an article within the June 2024 subject of IEEE Spectrum (“A Skeptic’s Tackle Beaming Energy to Earth from House”). The article’s creator, Henri Barde, joined the European House Company in 2007 and served as head of the ability programs, electromagnetic compatibility, and house setting division till his retirement in 2017; he has labored within the house business for practically 30 years and has reality-based perception.
He checked out varied proposed and distinctly totally different approaches to capturing and beaming the ability, together with CASSIOPeiA from House Photo voltaic Holdings Group; SPS-ALPHA Mark-III from a former NASA physicist; Photo voltaic Energy Satellite tv for pc from Thales Alenia House; and MR-SPS from the China Academy of House Know-how (there’s a short point out of the Caltech mission as properly).
He discusses key attributes, presumed advantages, and most significantly, the true obstacles to success as properly the greenback and technical price to overcoming these obstacles—assuming they are often overcome. These embrace the tons of, if not hundreds, of launches wanted to get every part “up there”; the necessity for robotic in-space meeting and restore; gasoline for station-keeping on the desired low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary orbit (GEO); temperature extremes (there will likely be durations when satellites are at nighttime) and related flexing; impacts from hundreds of micrometeorites; digital parts able to dealing with megawatts in house (none of which presently exist), and plenty of extra.
His conclusion is easy: it’s a significant waste of assets that might be higher spent on improved renewable energy sources, storage, and grid on Earth. The issue he factors out is that beamed solar energy is such an attractive idea. It’s so elegant in idea and appears to unravel the vitality drawback so cleanly and crisply, as soon as you work it out.
So now I’m perplexed. The sobering actuality described in Barde’s “downer” article worn out the keenness I used to be growing for these tasks such because the one at Caltech. In some unspecified time in the future, the $100 million seed cash (and comparable at different tasks) will should be supplemented by extra money, and plenty of it (simply, trillions), to take any of those concepts to their conclusion, whereas there will likely be substantial threat.
Is beamed solar energy a kind of enticing concepts that’s really impractical, unimaginable, too dangerous, and too expensive when it meets actuality of physics, electronics, house, and extra? Do we have to hold pushing it to see the place it will possibly take us?
Or will the spigot of cash in addition to the private vitality of its proponents finally dry up, since it isn’t a mission that you are able to do half manner? In any case, with a mission like this one, you’re both all in or you might be all out.
I do know that in terms of the paths that expertise advances take, you need to “by no means say by no means.” So, verify again in a couple of many years, and we’ll see the place issues stand.
Associated Content material
- Preserve photo voltaic panels clear from mud, fungus
- Lightning as an vitality harvesting supply?
- The opposite fusion problem: harvesting the ability
References
- IEEE Spectrum, “A Skeptic’s Tackle Beaming Energy to Earth from House”
- IEEE Spectrum, “House-based Photo voltaic Energy: A Nice Concept Whose Time Could By no means Come”
- IEEE Spectrum, “Powering Planes With Microwaves Is Not the Craziest Concept”
- IEEE/Caltech Technical Paper, “The Caltech House Photo voltaic Energy Demonstration One”
- Caltech, “Photo voltaic Energy at All Hours: Contained in the House Photo voltaic Energy Challenge”
- Caltech, “House Photo voltaic Energy Challenge Ends First In-House Mission with Successes and Classes”
- Caltech, “In a First, Caltech’s House Photo voltaic Energy Demonstrator Wirelessly Transmits Energy in House”
- Caltech, “Caltech to Launch House Photo voltaic Energy Know-how Demo into Orbit in January”
- The Wall Road Journal, “Beaming Photo voltaic Power From House Will get a Step Nearer”
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The submit Beaming solar energy to Earth: possible or fantasy? appeared first on EDN.
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