Oct 18 (NHK) – Researchers in Japan have conducted a preliminary experiment as part of a project to generate solar energy in space and send it back to Earth.
The idea is to place geostationary solar panels in space at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers and convert the electricity generated into microwaves that are sent back to Earth. The project team hopes that the technology will not be put into practice until 2045 at the earliest.
Solar energy generation in space has potential as a stable energy source because there are no weather or day-night cycles to disrupt the process. Research into this technology is also underway in the United States, European countries and China.
An experiment conducted Thursday on the Kyoto University campus tested the precise transmission of microwaves converted from electricity.
A transmitting device measuring approximately 70 square centimeters was used to check whether microwaves could hit a distant target. A monitor showed that the microwaves accurately hit the target.
Ten researchers took part in the trial. Among them were scientists from Japan Space Systems, an entity that researches solar energy generation in space on behalf of the government.
They plan to conduct an experiment in December to transmit electricity back to Earth from an aircraft flying at an altitude of 7,000 meters. In the next phase, the researchers plan to conduct a similar experiment with a small satellite next year.
Japan Space Systems Project Manager Yanagawa Hiroki said solar power generation in space holds promise as an emergency source of electricity in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
He said Japan has been conducting research and development in space solar power generation since the 1990s, and the technology is finally starting to take shape.
He expressed hope for the success of the flight test scheduled for later this year and for the series of experiments from space that will begin next year.
