Meanwhile the united states has been sitting on space based solar power technology since 1968 when nasa advisor and apollo 11 project manager peter glaser published his concept of a solar power.
Building space based solar panels factory.
In the 1970s nasa and the u s.
The concept of space based solar power is not new.
Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses.
Department of energy carried out serious studies on space based solar power and over the decades since various types of solar power satellites spss have been.
China thinks a solar power project in space to beam energy from the sun back for use on earth is a viable idea.
Space based solar power attracted considerable attention in the 1970s as the necessary individual technical components in essence photovoltaic cells satellite technology and wireless power.
In fact this technology was mentioned way back in 1941 in the science fiction story reason written by isaac asimov.
Space based solar power sbsp is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space and distributing it to earth potential advantages of collecting solar energy in space include a higher collection rate and a longer collection period due to the lack of a diffusing atmosphere and the possibility of placing a solar collector in an orbiting location where there is no night.
Power to run the sensors active heating cooling and telemetry.
For both uses a key figure of merit of the solar panels is the specific power watts generated divided by solar array mass which indicates on a relative basis how much.