TOKYO: Japanese scientists have found success with a whole new angle on wireless technology – beaming energy through space. Their recent achievement is an important step towards engineers’ ability to generate solar power in space for use on Earth.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reports that scientists achieved the transmission of energy by using microwaves to deliver 1.8 kilowatts of power with great accuracy to a target 170 feet away. This marks the first time such a high output of power has been transferred via microwaves to such a small target.
“While the distance was not huge, the technology could pave the way for mankind to eventually tap the vast amount of solar energy available in space and use it here on Earth,” said a Discovery News report.
“This was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly two kilowatts of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device,” said a spokesperson for JAXA. “But it could take decades before we see practical application of the technology—maybe in the 2040s or later. There are a number of challenges to overcome, such as how to send huge structures into space, how to construct them and how to maintain them.”
Satellites such as the ISS routinely collect solar power for their own functions, but sending solar-generated power down to Earth for use on the surface has not seemed feasible until JAXA’s revelation. JAXA researchers envision a future in which satellites carrying solar panels and antennae will send solar power down to receivers on Earth from about 22,300 miles up.
Solar power is easier to collect in space than on Earth due to the lack of interference from clouds and the ability of a satellite to spend more time in sunlight when it is not bound to rotate with the Earth into nighttime on the surface.
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