Solar energy is quickly evolving into a more efficient, more affordable type of alternative energy. Many researchers involved in the field have been setting their sights on solar energy acquisition in space. Now a recent contract may make solar energy in space a reality.
A solar company in California, Solaren, will be responsible for the components which will be put into space. Solaren and the Pacific Gas and Electric company in California have agreed on a 15-year contract. Solaren will be selling the electricity created from the solar energy in space to Pacific Gas.
Solaren will be deploying a large 0.62 mile diameter Mylar mirror into space which will be free-floating. This immense mirror will be collecting the solar energy and subsequently concentrating that energy onto a smaller mirror. The small mirror will then be responsible for concentrating the sunlight onto photovoltaic modules.
Once the sunlight is collected, it will be sent to Fresno, California using radio frequency waves. These waves would then be fed into the electric power grid in California as electricity once again. Overall, the space solar farm will be 200 megawatts. The expected time frame when the unit will actually begin working is around the year 2016.
The president of the California Public Utilities Commission, Michael Peevey, stated: “At the conceptual level, the advantages of space-based systems are significant. This technology would offer around-the-clock access to clean renewable energy.”