Space Solar Farms Edge Closer to Reality

New research from the Universities of Surrey and Swansea suggests that it’s viable to create affordable, lightweight solar panels capable of generating power in space.

Professor Craig Underwood, Emeritus Professor of Spacecraft Engineering at the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: “We are very pleased that a mission designed to last one year is still working after six. These detailed data show the panels have resisted radiation and their thin-film structure has not deteriorated in the harsh thermal and vacuum conditions of space. This ultra-low mass solar cell technology could lead to large, low-cost solar power stations deployed in space, bringing clean energy back to Earth — and now we have the first evidence that the technology works reliably in orbit.”

These groundbreaking panels, made of cells from cadmium telluride, cover a larger area, are more lightweight, and provide far greater power than current technology. To top it all off, they are relatively cheap to manufacture.

Researchers strongly believe that their findings prove that solar power satellites could be commercially viable too.

Dr. Dan Lamb from the University of Swansea stated that the large area solar arrays for space applications are a rapidly expanding market in the present era, and can contribute to the UK’s world-class reputations for space technology.”

Source: Collins, C. Space Solar Farms Edge Closer to Reality: Pioneering Study Shows Viability. SciTechDaily. https://scitechdaily.com/space-solar-farms-edge-closer-to-reality-pioneering-study-shows-viability/. 7th Dec, 2023. [Date accessed: 10th Dec, 2023]