Space-Based Solar Power
Abundant energy is essential to the continued sustainment and growth of human civilization. In recent years, the global dependence upon fossil fuels as a primary source of energy has contributed to major economic instabilities, international conflicts, and environmental damage. As society seeks to identify and develop alternative energy sources for the future that are clean, safe, and continuously available, the concept of space-based solar power (SBSP) is beginning to gain traction as a potential answer to the world's long-term energy needs.
The Department of Commerce and the Office of Space Commercialization play a key role in evaluating the economic viability and competitiveness of SBSP, as well as the potential for private sector investment and international partnerships.
SBSP projects have been studied internationally for decades. Early proposals involved enormous orbiting solar collection structures utilizing photo-voltaic cells and gigantic mirrors. More recently, proposals have investigated lightweight inflatable structures and nanotechnology, but the overall concept remains the same: capturing solar energy in space and transporting it via microwaves to receivers on the ground (or other spacecraft).
SBSP can be similarly compared to hydroelectric energy production in that both systems involve high capital expenditures and long payback periods, but both are renewable and require no fossil fuel feedstock.
In 2007, the Department of Defense's National Security Space Office (NSSO) sponsored a major study of the technical, political, and economic feasibility of the SBSP concept. The objective was to answer the question, "Can the United States and partners enable the development and deployment of a space-based solar power system within the first half of the 21st Century such that if constructed it could provide affordable, clean, safe, reliable, sustainable, & expandable energy for its consumers?"
The NSSO study found that SBSP does present a strategic opportunity that could significantly advance U.S. and partner security, capability, and freedom of action, and the concept merits significant further attention on the part of the U.S. Government and the private sector. While significant technical challenges remain, SBSP is more technically executable than ever before, and current technological vectors promise to further improve its viability. A government-led proof-of-concept demonstration could serve to catalyze commercial sector development.
External References
Further information about space-based solar power can be obtained from the following web sites:
Additional information about space-based solar power can be found at the following private sector association/media web sites. These links are provided as a reference tool only; they do not constitute an endorsement of the views of the organizations listed. To request the addition of another association web link, please see the contact information below.
