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Pentagon Backs Ambitious Plan to Beam Solar Power From Space
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Key Points:
- The U.S. Department of Defense has contracted Overview Energy to develop a homing beacon for a space-based solar power system that beams energy from orbit to Earth, aiming to provide continuous, clean energy for remote military bases.
- Space-based solar panels can generate power 24/7 without interruption from weather or night, addressing major challenges faced by terrestrial solar farms such as intermittency and land use constraints.
- The technology offers dispatchable energy by targeting power delivery to specific global locations, with a demonstration planned for 2028 and a geosynchronous satellite constellation deployment expected by 2030.
- Overview Energy has also secured a contract with Meta to supply up to 1 gigawatt of space-based solar energy, but the full space-to-ground system remains unproven in orbit.
- Some experts express skepticism about the economic viability of space-based solar power, citing cheaper and more established alternatives like nuclear and geothermal energy.
