Japan’s Space Solar Energy Technology Plan

Details have emerged of a plan that is gathering pace in Japan involving space solar energy collection and transmission – as far-fetched as that may sound.  Japan envisages full deployment for the technology needed to collect solar energy outside the atmosphere within about the next two decades and, to this end, its government has just selected the firms and the individuals it wants to develop it. 

This project is known as the SSPS – Space Solar Power System, and it will involve a formation of photovoltaic devices – each one multiple square kilometres in size.  

Solar Power in Space

The impulse for wanting to collect solar energy beyond the earth’s realms is to do with its strength.  Strength-wise, solar power in space far exceeds the solar power that can be harnessed on earth and, once captured by the energy-collecting photovoltaic technology, it will be sent down to terra firma by either microwaves or lasers.  A network of vast ground-based antennae will receive the solar energy transmissions. 

Space Solar Energy

Among the companies now set to be involved in this unprecedented and astonishing space solar energy project are Mitsubishi, Sharp, Fujitsu and NEC.  Together, they will collaborate on achieving a number of incremented goals in the run-up to the planned 2030 space solar technology launch. 

The first goal, according to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) researcher Tatsuhito Fujita, is to launch a test vehicle, to trial the energy transmission aspect of the project.  Following this, a large-scale 10 MW photovoltaic device will be sent into space and trialled, then a scaled-up 250 MW device. 

Officials have highlighted how the ongoing theme involved in these first steps will be to look into whether space solar technology is financially achievable, since the ultimate aim is to create electricity on the same kind of cost level as can be produced by other, earth-based renewable energy sources like wind and hydro. 

Space Solar Power System

The ultimate power capacity of the hovering photovoltaic platforms that will make up the Space Solar Power System is planned to be one GW (gigawatt) – about the same as a mid-sized atomic energy plant would be expected to produce.

According to JAXA, the technology involved in transmitting solar energy thousands and thousands of miles through space presents no risk to the public, but it admits there is some work to be done to convince people of this.  Five years ago, a study was carried out to gather public reactions to the project and, with 1,000 participants taking part, a number expressed concern over the procedure. 

See also:

US Firm Could Provide Solar Power from Space