Space-based solar energy has been talked about for a long time in the scientific community. The researchers, who have not been successful in the experiments so far, have recently succeeded in transmitting the solar energy collected in space to the Earth.MAPLE experiment holds the promise of unlimited renewable energy
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announced that its space-borne prototypes, called the Space Solar Demonstrator (SSPD-1), collect sunlight, convert it into electricity, and beam it to microwave receivers installed on the roof of Caltech’s Pasadena campus. It holds the promise of potentially unlimited renewable energy, as solar panels in space can collect sunlight at any time of the day.Known as the Microwave Array for the Power Transfer Low Orbit Experiment (MAPLE), the experiment involved two separate receiver arrays and lightweight microwave transmitters with special chips. Using microwaves to transmit power also means that cloud cover will not create interference.
Professor Ali Hajimiri, one of the experiment researchers, said: “As far as we know, no one has demonstrated wireless energy transfer in space, even in expensive solid structures. We do this with flexible lightweight structures and our own integrated circuits. This is a first.” said.
