Harnessing energy from space to power our homes and businesses may sound like an idea straight out of a science fiction story. But it’s actually something that’s been on the U.S. government’s mind for decades. As the urgency to develop sustainable forms of renewable energy becomes more apparent, it’s also an idea that’s seeing a resurgence.

Problem Solving

The idea of harvesting solar energy from space first came up in the 1970s at the peak of the oil crisis. There was a proposal to put 60 solar stations into space, which would beam back solar energy to earth. The problem at the time was there was no rocket with enough power to get the necessary equipment up into orbit.

Then President Jimmy Carter warned of the need to decrease our dependency on fossil fuels saying, “We must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy we will rely on in the next century.”

As the oil crisis eased, plans to send solar stations into space were shelved, but maybe not for much longer.

No Limits

Although there are proven environmental and financial benefits to going solar, there are some key hurdles that can make it difficult. One big challenge for terrestrial solar panels is that between sunsets and cloudy weather, they can only collect sunlight for part of the day. This would seem to be an area where space-based solar farms could really shine.

“If you put the solar panel in space, it’s going to be illuminated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 99 percent of the year,” said Paul Jaffe, a Spacecraft Engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Not only would there be more time to harvest solar energy in space, but there would also be the potential to harness more power. At 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface, sunlight is much brighter. A solar panel in space would be able to collect 40 times as much energy as its Earthbound counterpart.

Renewed Interest

In August, NASA put out a call for proposals for technology that could help harness solar energy in space. Unfortunately, run of the mill solar panels won’t cut it outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.

“We are interested in technologies capable of efficient operations in the harsh environments encountered during missions conducted far beyond Earth’s orbit,” said NASA Spokesperson Joshua Buck. “These environments are extremely cold, have significantly reduced solar intensities, and are very harsh radiation environments.”

Developing and deploying extraterrestrial solar stations won’t be cheap, but the advantages of stellar solar farms coupled with depleting fossil fuel reserves is fueling interest.

Currently, it costs about $4,600 for each kilogram launched into low orbit. Space-based solar wouldn’t be able to compete with other energy sources until that cost drops over ten times to $400 per kilogram.

There is some progress being made on cutting down costs. Elon Musk’s company SpaceX is currently developing a reusable rocket, which could dramatically cut down on transportation costs.

Others have floated the idea of public-private partnerships. Solar energy from space would have to be beamed back to Earth, most likely as radio waves. It’s possible that communications companies would partner with the government on infrastructure costs if both groups could use the systems.

“People might not associate radio waves with carrying energy because they think of them for communications, like radio, TV, or cell phones. They don’t think about them as carrying usable amounts of power,” said Jaffe.

If you’d like to find out how installing solar panels on your roof can help you drive your electric bill down to zero, contact us today for a free quote.