Orbital Solar Power Plants Could Soon Be a Thing

 Since the beginning, solar power has had serious limitations as a renewable energy because it only works when the sun is shining. This makes solar a great option for people living in areas like California and Arizona, others states not so much. Even on the sunniest days, without a cloud in the sky, the atmosphere still absorbs some of the energy coming from the sun, making solar less efficient. 

 To solve the issue, NASA came up with the brilliant idea of getting solar energy from outer space. 

 Many NASA researchers believe a spacecraft equipped with mirrors to reflect sunlight into a power-conversion device is the answer. The energy collected would then be beamed to Earth via a microwave emitter or laser. They’ve even come up with ways to protect to protect birds or planes that may wander into the energy beam’s path. Energy from these space solar panels would not be limited by clouds, the atmosphere or night cycles. What’s even better about all of this? The solar energy would be continuously absorbed, and therefore would not need to be stored for later use, a process that can cost up to 50% of the energy stored. 

 Yet still, space-based solar is very extremely costly, but many researchers argue that the benefits outweigh the expensive price tag. Soon we may not have an option, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that world energy consumption will increase nearly 50 percent by 2040. 

 U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Spacecraft engineer, Paul Jaffe, presented his space-based solar plan at the Department of Defense’s (D3) Innovation Summit Pitch Challenge, last year, and won four out of seven awards. Jaffe says his plan would power more than 150,000 homes within 10 years for $10 billion, so in the long run, the orbital power plant will pay off. 

 There’s still much research to be done here, but perhaps within a decade, solar power plants will be orbiting the earth. 

 Check out the full story over at Futurism.