Japan plans giant solar power station in space

Japan’s space agency is planning to construct a solar power station in space and use it to beam energy down to Earth using lasers.
 
By Tom Chivers
Published: 11:21AM GMT 10 Nov 2009

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) hopes that the ambitious plans will help ease the country’s energy problems as well as providing a solution for global warming. A select group of companies and researchers have been given the task of designing and building the Space Solar Power System (SSPS).
 
The plan is to create a miles-wide array of photovoltaic panels, like the solar panels used on Earth, and place it in a geostationary orbit. Solar rays are at least five times as powerful in space as they are at ground level, allowing the huge panels to gather vast quantities of energy.

A report by researchers at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said: "Since solar power is a clean and inexhaustible energy source, we believe that this system will be able to help solve the problems of energy shortage and global warming.

"The sun's rays abound in space." Once collected, the solar energy would be beamed down to a substation on Earth, using laser beams or microwaves.

READ MORE:    Telegraph.co.uk

Photo Credit:    Jaxa