Japan leads the way in harnessing solar power from space.
Japanese aerospace exploration agency, Jaxa, has confirmed successful advancement in space-based solar power.
Collecting energy from the sun is becoming an ever popular clean source of power and electricity. However, with the unpredictability of weather, and other constraints, relying on solar power entirely would be a risky endeavour. For this reason – along with a host of other benefits – companies, such as Jaxa, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, have been researching and developing projects that would harness the power of the sun directly from space.
Earlier this month, Jaxa announced that its Space Solar Power Systems (SSPS), a project with the goal of collecting sunlight in geostationary orbit and sending its energy down to Earth, had successfully used microwaves to wirelessly transmit power to a target.
Read more on this topic from The Wall Street Journal: Japan Advances in Space-Based Solar Power.
Why Space-Based Solar Power?
There are several advantages of gathering space-based solar power, including the fact that it would be a a sustainable, clean form of energy. In addition, it would be possible to gather energy 24 hours a day, despite the time on Earth, and solar power collection would be unaffected by weather or time of year, with minor exceptions during the spring and fall equinox.
Learn more from Jaxa regarding the practical application of space-based solar power generation.
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(Image via Pixabay)