Benjamin McGrew

Spaced-based Solar Power: Technical Report

Space Based Solar Power (SBSP) requires three primary elements: a method for
collecting solar energy, a method for transferring energy to the Earth, and a method for
receiving the power once it reaches Earth. While many different systems have been
proposed, there are very few which meet the technical and economic demands that ultimately
control the research and development necessary to see them manifest. The following report
will cover the technical aspects of the most currently viable primary elements and the
advantages and disadvantages associated with SBSP when compared to more conventional
means of energy production.

Cost/Benefit Analysis
The United States currently derives 39.1% of its energy from coal, 27.4% from natural
gas, 19.4% from nuclear, and the remaining 14.1% from renewable and alternative sources.
As a result of these practices, and international parallels, we suffer from a state of
dependence on a dwindling source of fuel and are witnessing an unprecedented increase in
hazardous emissions. SBSP, as a renewable and emission-free approach to power
production, demonstrates high potential as a candidate for replacing and/or supplementing
established power plants whilst keeping up with an ever increasing demand.
SBSP also manages to avoid less obvious issues which plague nuclear and bio-fuel.
Without a need for grown fuel nor cooling, there is no need to waste precious resources such
as fresh water and farm land which could be put to use growing food or export crops. The
absence of radioactive waste means no need for extreme safety precautions and quarantine
zones, nor risk of catastrophic meltdown. Terrorism is essentially a non-issue as a result of
physical inaccessibility. Of particular note, SBSP even has strengths when compared directly

Benjamin McGrew
to Earth based solar power. Being in space, as opposed to the surface of the planet, enables
the system to gain access to solar power continuously, in far higher concentrations, and
without concern for clouds, wind, nor time of day.
Beyond alleviating concerns, SBSP also opens the door to unprecedented
opportunities. The countries which produce and deploy this technology will be capable of
achieving an energy independence with significant political ramification. Perhaps most
interesting, SBSP provides the unique ability to redirect power on a global scale. Any location
equipped to receive transmitted power would be capable of receiving and distributing
electricity, on demand, to satisfy energy needs. With minimal international collaboration, there
would be no need to fear exceeding ones own ability to produce power, as solar power could
be reallocated to supply countries based on need, rather than infrastructure.
Despite the list of potential benefits that SBSP could provide, it struggles with a few not
insignificant obstacles, first and foremost is cost. Solar collectors are large by necessity and
transporting the technology into space bears an overwhelming price tag. Not only is the initial
installation expensive, but maintenance could require similarly expensive procedures. The
position outside of our atmosphere is also a rather hostile place. Radiation, debris,
micrometeorites, among other celestial hazards would put astronauts at risk and accelerate
degradation of the structure. While in use, it would need to be isolated from other satellites to
prevent frequency interference, and once decommissioned, could pose a threat by
contributing to space debris.

Collection
Heat engines are one of the oldest and most well understood methods for generating
power. By taking advantage of a large heat gradient, energy can be produced up to a

Benjamin McGrew
theoretical limit of 57%, as outlined by the Ideal Carnot Efficiency. Objects in space are often
subjected to extreme temperature gradients, particularly if they are in synchronous rotation
with a source of heat like our sun. The moon, for example, experiences an average difference
of 356 degrees Celsius, due to a lack of atmosphere to retain the heat. Unfortunately,
relatively small objects have far more difficulty radiating heat due to the lack of a transferring
medium, and subsequently enter a state which is too uniform to efficiently generate power.
Through the use of shape memory material, Carlos Menon, of Simon Fraser University,
and Claudio Bombardelli, of the European Space Agency, managed to achieve some level of
success in overcoming the challenges that face space based heat engines. By exploiting
thermal cycles of dilation and contraction of a spinning tethered system exposed to solar
radiation, they were able effectively demonstrate, for the first time, the viability of a heat
engine in deep space, albeit with only a 10% efficiency rate. With advancements in material
sciences and nanotechnology, it could become possible to realize more ideal systems which
would make heat engines competitive with photovoltaic systems.
Solar cells are what most people envision upon hearing the term solar power. Also
known as photovoltaic cells, they convert light directly into electricity. Unlike heat engines,
solar cells have a theoretical efficiency limit of 86% with several models successfully
demonstrating near 45% efficiency. Several countries have already taken to using solar cells
to make an appreciable impact on their total power generation, China, with ~23 Gigawatts,
currently produces 60% globally.
The cost of photovoltaics is nearly twice that of the popular coal, but with the steadily
decreasing cost of production, increasing efficiency, and limited nature of coal, it won't take
long for PV cells to become seriously competitive. Space based solar cells would take
advantage of the ideal environment to greatly improve power generation, but will have to

Benjamin McGrew
compensate for the cost of installation before becoming practical. Alternatively, photovoltaics
can be made more cheaply by focusing on increasing exposure to solar radiation, rather than
purely on conversion efficiency.
Solar concentrators is the collective name for the use of lenses or mirrors to
concentrate large areas of sunlight onto small areas. They can often be found in desert
locations as large arrays of mirrors focused on the top of large towers to power heat engines.
When used in conjunction with solar cells, they are referred to as concentrated photovoltaics.
By reducing the PV material required, it becomes feasible to invest in higher efficiency
cells. Parabolic or Fresnel mirror arrays positioned to significantly increase the total solar
energy reaching the PV cells allows for a significant increase in energy production per cell.
Increased concentration (often on the order of 1000x) cause the cells to reach extreme
temperatures and require cooling systems, the difficulties of heat dissipation in space only
exacerbating the problem.

Transmission
In order to transfer power collected from orbiting satellites, a technique must be
developed which will work without the conductive materials we use on the surface. The two
most prominent methods are microwave beams,maser, and UV lasers. Each is similar and
accompanied by complimentary strengths and weaknesses.
Lasers are a technology that have been thoroughly explored and a very well
understood. Naturally, this makes it one of the first approaches researchers consider when
transferring power wirelessly. In this context, the term laser refers to a source of coherent
light between the ranges of near-infrared and ultraviolet, ~400nm to ~800nm. Several
operating principles can be used to generate a laser beam. Gas lasers have been popular,

Benjamin McGrew
though more recently laser diodes have increased in popularity to take the slot of most
common for high powered lasers. Due to the prevalence of coherent visible light sources,
development costs and the potential for growth is significantly higher, and short wavelengths
allow for more compact devices due to the ability to use much small transmitters and antenna.
Unfortunately, our atmosphere is very good at deflecting and diffusing such light which would
drastically reduce total system efficiency. In order to overcome the losses, some sources have
suggested deploying tethered low orbit inflatable receivers to collect the transmitted power at
high altitude and relay it to its final destination. While not ideal for space-to-Earth
transmission, it represents a strong possibility for space-to-space power including powering
other orbiting satellites, stations, and lunar colonies, due to negligible atmosphere.
Masers, on the other hand, predate visible light lasers, but are less well researched
due to the wider applications for visible light. Microwave radiation includes wavelengths
between one millimeter to one meter in length, the near edge of short-wave radio.
Fundamentally identical to lasers in operation, masers would allow effective transmission of
solar energy into transferable power. Unlike the high frequency visible light laser, the maser
emits a beam of energy that easily penetrates our atmosphere and has been demonstrated its
capabilities for wireless power at ranges of over 1.4km. Due to limited applications, Masers
don't have the same level of supporting research and development, which limits the rate at
which this technology can be improved and the costs associated with production. Also, due to
the long wavelengths involved, the transmitting and receiving antenna have to be very large,
1km and 10km in diameter respectively, for a beam of 2.4GHz. The size can be reduced by
adjusting the frequency, however, the trade off would be seen in the ability to bypass
atmospheric absorption and weather.

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Reception
Once the solar power has been collected, prepared for transmission, and sent down to
Earth, a compatible receiver is required to ultimately make use to the energy by converting it
into electricity to be distributed into an established power grid. For microwave beams, that
receiver is a rectifying antenna known commonly as a rectenna. For a particular example,
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAEA) has been working toward the development
of a geosynchronous SBSP satellite which would transmit to a rectenna just off the Japanese
coast.
JAEA's design avoids many concerns associated with a concentrated energy source
pointed toward the planet, by ensuring that the regular population in physically distanced from
the column of microwave radiation. However, even without the physical separation, most
rectenna station designs include the use of a pilot signal which would allow the ground based
station to coordinate with the orbiting satellite to control both direction of the beam and control
the phase of the microwaves to accommodate for relative orientation. For workers working on
the rectenna, they will be required to wear protective gear to protect from prolonged
exposure, but the width of the beam reduces the actual exposure to otherwise safe levels,
leaving visitors and passing animals unharmed. The conversion process from microwave into
DC power is in excess of 80% efficiency, while the entire system would achieve nearly 54%.

Benjamin McGrew
Works Cited
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[16] Futron Corporation, "Space Transportation Costs: Trends in Price Per Pound to Orbit
1990-2000," Futron Corporation, Bethesda, 2002.

Benjamin McGrew
[17] The Times of India, "China Proposes Space Collaboration With India," The Times of
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