\n<\/p>\n
Solar panels in space could cut Europe\u2019s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found.<\/p>\n
Using a detailed computer model of the continent\u2019s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds.<\/p>\n
The study, led by researchers at King\u2019s College London, is the first to assess the possible impact of space solar energy on Europe. The space-based solar panel (SBSP) that yielded the positive results uses a heliostat design. The design, which the system imitates, uses mirror-like reflectors to collect sunlight in orbit. The sunlight is then transmitted to stations on Earth and converted to electricity before it is delivered to an energy grid.<\/p>\n
The computer model of the continent\u2019s power grid spans 33 countries, and simulates electricity demand, generation and storage to identify the lowest-cost option to meet Europe\u2019s electricity needs.<\/p>\n
When the researchers integrated the SBSP concept into the model based on Nasa\u2019s predictions of its potential energy capacity, results showed that it could replace as much as 80% of Europe\u2019s land-based renewable energy.<\/p>\n
Land-based renewable energy is irregular and weather-dependent, complicating reliable supply, and comes at varying costs, the researchers point out. SBSPs could be an alternative centralised energy resource that operates above the atmosphere with continuous gigawatt-scale power.<\/p>\n
The authors note that the modelling does not account for potential impacts from space-specific challenges such as orbital congestion, transmission interruptions or beaming variability, which could influence SBSP reliability and operational performance.<\/p>\n
Nor could the potential cost-effectiveness of SBSPs be realised until 2050 because building, launching and maintaining them would be too expensive unless technological growth reduces its costs.<\/p>\n
Dr Wei He, a senior lecturer at KCL\u2019s engineering department and lead author of the study, which is published in Joule, said: \u201cThere are some risks to consider, such as how the satellite in space could have too many solar panels. Could it cause collisions or be damaged by debris in space?\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite those risks, Wei believes the research shows that have the potential to help countries in achieving net zero. \u201cRenewable energy to replace fossil fuels is the most important action we are taking as humans. Space-based solar power is a potential technology and can provide continuous solar power as a renewable energy source,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Japan is already developing SBSPs and integrating them into its space and net-zero strategy, Wei said.<\/p>\n
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Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Europe could follow suit, the paper suggests, mentioning the continent\u2019s longstanding tradition of multinational cooperation of cross-border electricity exchange and satellite ventures under the European Space Agency.<\/p>\n The authors believe Europe could leverage its multinational cooperation to develop and operate a centralized SBSP infrastructure. In doing so, it could create a continent-scale solution to provide stable, baseload-scale renewable supply, reducing the continent\u2019s reliance on gas-fired power.<\/p>\n \u201cNow is the time,\u201d Wei said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Solar panels in space could cut Europe\u2019s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found. Using a detailed computer model of the continent\u2019s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[611,1003,4020,1664,10196,2445,1887,1101],"class_list":{"0":"post-16998","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-energy","9":"tag-europes","10":"tag-panels","11":"tag-power","12":"tag-provide","13":"tag-renewable","14":"tag-solar","15":"tag-space"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}