Martin Soltau of the Space Energy Initiative explains how beaming solar power back from space could boost Net Zero ambitions and provide energy security
It sounds like part of a science fiction plot, but by the end of this year work will have started on a UK space energy system that will continually harvest solar power from the sun and beam it back to earth to be used to power our homes and businesses.
The Space Energy Initiative (SEI), based at the Satellite Applications Catapult at Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire is to benefit from the UK’s Government’s awarding of £3 million in grant funding for Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) projects.
SBSP collects solar power through a constellation of large satellites in a high earth orbit and beams it securely to a fixed point on the earth. It promises to deliver clean energy, day and night, throughout the year and in all…