Going after 2 years, China is surpassing the US in the ability to collect solar energy in space

Researchers at China's Xidian University have announced that they have completed the test of a new field that could pave the way for capturing solar energy from space and transmitting it back to Earth. If successful, this project could help China surpass the US in the ability to capture solar energy in space and transmit it back to Earth.

On June 5, researchers at Xidian University successfully tested "the world's first system-wide connected solar power plant". The factory is a 75m high steel structure located south of Xidian University. It is combined with 5 other smaller subsystems, to enhance the ability of solar arrays in space.

 The factory is a 75m high steel structure located south of Xidian University.

The report of the evaluation team said: "The results of the project are generally at an advanced level compared to the world, with key technical criteria such as optical-omega-mechanical integrated design, efficient wireless transmission viba at 55m, the beam-gathering efficiency and function ratio in structural systems such as conversion and antennas are rated as world-leading."

In theory, satellites could continuously collect photons of light from the Sun, convert them into electricity based on photovoltaic cells, and convert that electricity into microwaves for wireless transmission to receivers. energy on the Earth's surface - like the structure built at Xidian University.

This idea was initiated in the 1960s by scientist Peter Glaser. Collecting solar energy in space can overcome many of the disadvantages of ground-based systems as it can operate continuously without having to wait until dawn or in any weather conditions. However, the cost of launching satellites and building solar collectors in space, along with technological difficulties and safety conditions, have hindered such projects over the years.

OMEGA will collect energy from the Sun and convert it into electricity to send back to Earth.

The new energy harvesting station built by Xidian University is part of a group's proposal to collect solar energy in space called OMEGA - short for Orb-Shape Membrane Energy Gathering Array. When fully built and put into geostationary orbit, OMEGA will collect energy from the Sun and convert it into electricity to send back to Earth by microwaves.

The OMEGA project was proposed by Duan Baoyan from the School of Electromechanical Engineering at Xidian University and colleagues in 2014. Two years earlier, NASA also announced a similar plan called SPS-ALPHA (Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily). Large Phased Array), consisting of a satellite in space with many smaller components that can transmit energy back to Earth. But the announcement of Xidian University shows that China is surpassing the US in the ability to transmit energy in space even though it is two years behind.

The transmission of solar energy from space is still many generations away.

One of OMEGA's most notable achievements to date is that researchers have succeeded in transmitting energy wirelessly in the form of microwaves over a distance of 55 meters. This success marks an important step forward for future space solar power collection infrastructure. According to the press release, the successful trial earlier this month puts the researchers three years ahead of the project's roadmap.

However, researcher Baoyan also admits that the transmission of solar energy from space still needs many generations.

Even so, it shows that the idea of ​​solar energy in space is still very promising, and it could help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Building such a complex system is a huge challenge, but it could revolutionize the way we collect energy.