Submitted by Vanessa Bismuth on Thu, 29/06/2023 - 12:41
New space-based solar power technology developed at the University of Cambridge is preparing for lift off thanks to a multi-million government investment.
With this government funded programme, we will develop brand new technologies that will enable a complete, technically feasible, robust, and relatively inexpensive solution for generating power from space. Louise Hirst
In a recent speech at London Tech Week, Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps announced that the University of Cambridge and 7 other leading UK universities and technology companies will receive a share of £4.3 million government funding from the Space Based Solar Power Innovation Competition, to drive forward innovation in the sector.
Spaced-based solar power collects energy from the Sun using panels on satellites and beaming it safely back to earth with wireless technology.
An independent study in 2021 found that space-based solar power could generate up to 10GW of electricity a year by 2050, a quarter of the UK’s current electricity demand.
The University of Cambridge, in partnership with the University of Southampton and IQE plc., is receiving over £770,000 to develop ultra-lightweight solar panels that can survive long periods in high-radiation environments like the conditions in space.
“Space Based Solar Power, using satellite solar farms to harvest light energy and beam it to receivers on the surface of the Earth, day or night, whatever the weather, is a compelling prospect,” said Professor Louise Hirst, who leads the programme from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. “It’s the promise of a new source of power, contributing towards net zero goals of the coming decade, with a relatively low footprint on the ground.”
Eccentric orbits, with long dwell times at high altitude are ideal for hosting this type of system, as they offer greater coverage of the Earth’s surface, with fewer satellites needed in space. But their exploitation is particularly challenging because of the high radiation levels encountered in space that can damage the equipment.
To go around this challenge, the team of researchers are developing a concentrator photovoltaic device which can survive extended missions in space and efficiently convert solar energy into electricity.
Dr. Nina Vaidya, from the University of Southampton, was part of the Caltech team that took space-based solar power ambitions and turned them into prototypes; with successful space launch of demo earlier in 2023. Vaidya developed a new type of ultralightweight space reflector which will be put into action for this project.
“These efficient space reflectors focus sunlight 15-fold with thicknesses of less than 100 microns,” said Vaidya. “Their areal mass are just a few milligrams per cm2, yet they maintain their nominal parabolic shape after folding and unfolding, while surviving the harsh space environments.”
This ultrathin device will be used together with an integrated light management system that focuses sunlight onto it, which will help maintain its efficiency. To prevent the device from getting too hot, the team plans to use a special thin film coating to release the excess heat into the colder surrounding environment.
This will help increase the lifetime of these satellites, improve energy yields and lower the cost per unit of energy.
"Because of the environment they are meant to be working in, photovoltaics for space-based solar power have a unique set of design criteria,” said Hirst. “With this government funded programme, we will develop brand new technologies that will enable a complete, technically feasible, robust, and relatively inexpensive solution for generating power from space."
“IQE is pleased to be offering its expertise in III-V epitaxial technologies, in providing material that will contribute to improving device performance levels within the harsh environments encountered at such altitudes,“ said Dr. Iwan Davies, IQE plc Group Technology Director.
“We are very excited to participate in this new project with Cambridge University and IQE and apply our thin-film radiative cooling solutions to space-based solar energy,” added Prof. Otto Muskens from the University of Southampton, who also contribute to the thermo-optical design of the solar cells.
The 7 other projects to be awarded funding from the government’s Space Based Solar Power Innovation Competition, part of the flagship £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, are as follows:
- Queen Mary University in London will receive over £960,000 to develop a wireless power transmission system with high efficiency over a long range, to support the technology to beam solar power from the satellites back to Earth
- MicroLink Devices UK Ltd in Port Talbot, South Wales, has been awarded over £449,000 to develop the next generation of lightweight, flexible solar panels, which could be used for solar satellites
- the University of Bristol is receiving over £353,000 to produce a simulation of solar space wireless power transfer capability to explore the possibilities of this technology, and provide further evidence on the performance, safety, and reliability of space based solar
- Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd in Didcot has been awarded over £999,000 for an experiment to test the electronical steering and beam quality of its space satellite antenna technology. The company are receiving over £424,000 for another project to study how to advance commercial space-based solar power that can provide a reliable source of electricity for the UK
- Imperial College London is receiving over £295,000 for a study to assess the key benefits and impacts of space solar, including how solar energy from space could be integrated into the electricity grid alongside other low-carbon energy sources
- EDF Energy R&D UK Centre Ltd will receive over £25,000 for a study to improve knowledge of the value of introducing space based solar power into the UK’s grid.
Adapted from a press release from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the UK Space Agency.
Image: