Clean, renewable energy for everyone. Yes, that’s right, the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has successfully conducted a ground demonstration for converting solar energy to microwaves. This breakthrough brings us closer to having a renewable power source not just for military operations and space vehicles but also for the people on Earth.
The Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations and Research program of the AFRL and Northrop Grumman aims to collect solar energy from the Earth’s atmosphere as these are purer forms of light energy that do not compare to the ones we feel on Earth. This can be done by sending microwave energy from a rectennas, a rectifying antenna that can convert electromagnetic energy into DC electricity.
However, the main problem is not the collection but rather the transmission of this energy to Earth so that it can be used on the ground for a variety of…
Air Force Breakthrough with Space-based Solar Energy
