Renewable Energy’s Next Frontier — Space
Space solar power is no longer science fiction. But transatlantic cooperation is needed to turn this opportunity into a reality.
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Space solar power is superior to earth-based production. Orbiting the Earth at 35,000 kilometers above its surface and continuously facing the sun, space solar could provide consistent supply without being constrained by weather and nighttime. Satellites convert sunshine into electricity, which is in turn converted to microwaves and beamed to the earth, where they are once again converted into electricity and fed into the local grid.
Although this process may seem complicated, space solar has long been pondered as an indispensable step to conquer space. The United States has been exploring the field since the 1970s. China, Japan, and South Korea have surged ahead with dedicated years-long programs.
Europe is now joining the race. The European Space Agency recently launched the SOLARIS project. At a recent conference in London, officials from both the public and private sectors demonstrated enthusiasm for producing clean energy in space. European cooperation could become a unifying continent-wide quest in the post-Brexit era.
While space solar is promising, it must overcome a labyrinth of technical, regulatory, legal, and geopolitical hurdles. Lightweight cosmic solar panels must be perfected. Wireless power transmission systems must be updated. Space solar systems are not just a single piece of infrastructure but deploy a constellation of spacecraft. Safety concerns arise from the wireless transmission of high-energy beams from space to Earth.
Space solar must be aligned with market reality to address these challenges. First, the technology needs to become economically competitive with other renewables. Second, it must be commercialized and lure investment.
Satellite construction and launches are expensive. Technological breakthroughs are needed to drive down costs. Green finance such as space bonds or carbon offsets must be developed to mobilize capital and foster public support.
Space governance and international cooperation will be key. Yet geopolitical tensions are high, dividing the West and its allies such as Japan and South Korea, and authoritarians including China, Russia, Iran, and its proxies. This geopolitical conflict creates disputes over orbital slots, spectrum rights, and satellite frequencies.
Although the 1967 Outer Space Treaty guarantees equal access to space for all nations, it needs to be updated. A comprehensive legal and regulatory framework is required to address ownership and operation, allocation of orbital slots, and the resolution of potential disputes. Environmental and safety regulations need to be developed. Space solar will produce a large amount of debris and electromagnetic interference. New regulations are required to govern wireless power beaming, on-orbit manufacturing, assembly, and servicing.
European divergences represent another challenge. The different European Union members have varying interests and capacities. France, for instance, is far ahead of its European peers in the space-launch capabilities. Political initiative will be required to forge a pan-European space solar project, and it will be crucial to include the UK in the equation.
The fate of the Space Solar will depend on the outcome of the broad space race. By harnessing the sun’s power from space, the world could illuminate another path towards a sustainable energy future — if we compete and cooperate, but not if we fight.
Maciej Filip Bukowski is a 2022 CEPA James S. Denton fellow and an international analysis expert at BGK, Polish development bank. A graduate of Sorbonne and Cornell law schools, he is completing a Ph.D. thesis at the Jagiellonian University on the geopolitics of climate change.
Bandwidth is CEPA’s online journal dedicated to advancing transatlantic cooperation on tech policy. All opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or views of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis.
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