Solar Panels in Space? They’re Closer Than You Think

Imagine space-based solar panels that would power us here on earth. Sounds a little “out there” I know. But scientists from California Institute of Technology have come up with a prototype than can collect the rays from the sun and transmit the energy back to earth in a usable format. Earthsky.org says, “Their prototype is a lightweight tile that consists of three main components. Optical reflectors concentrate the sunlight, photovoltaic cells convert the sunlight to electricity, and an integrated circuit converts the electricity to radiofrequency energy that is transmitted through an attached antenna. Many individual tiles could be strung together to form large solar arrays in space. A ground-based microwave receiver on Earth would be used to intercept the incoming radiofrequency energy and convert it back into useable electricity.”

Here’s the entire article: http://earthsky.org/earth/space-based-solar-energy-power-getting-closer-to-reality?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=e5d59e2967-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-e5d59e2967-395281113