Moon Solar Panels Beaming Power To Earth

A solar panel array placed on the moon would generate electricity during earth s nighttime hours because it is receiving direct sunlight containing photons.

Moon solar panels beaming power to earth.

Lunar solar power lsp arrays would receive higher energy density from sunlight than we get through earth s atmosphere avoid weather and could beam energy to any part of earth facing the moon. But it remains to be seen if this ambitious project can overcome the significant technological hurdles it faces. The idea of capturing solar energy in space where the sun never stops shining and beaming it to earth may seem far fetched but such technology is further along than most realize. The key to lunar based solar on earth is microwave transmission.

What people see on earth is the sun s light energy reflecting off the moon s surface. The new solar cells panels and production processes being developed through the program could revolutionize space based power. Unlike the sun the moon does not generate its own light energy. Researchers at the u s.

Beaming solar power from space to earth is becoming practical. That would be approximately 18 tw today and possibly 24 tw by mid century. Research from the qian xuesen laboratory of space technology in china shows that solar power generated on the moon can supply future lunar bases with plenty of energy to spare. With thousands of solar systems and microwave transmitters on the moon and receivers in every nation on earth the result would be pollution free electric power that is abundant clean stable.

Lsp could theoretically even satisfy 100 percent of our energy needs. The alternative is to turn the energy from the solar array into microwaves and beam these to a collector on the earth s surface to be converted into electricity. The reflected light seen from earth does not contain a significant number of photons so in most cases moon light will not cause the panels to generate electricity. Naval research laboratory have made the first attempt to test the viability of this technology by sending a solar antenna aboard the.

Contrary to appearances of sbsp in popular novels and video games most designs propose beam energy densities that are not harmful if human beings were to be inadvertently exposed such as if a transmitting satellite s beam were to wander off course.