China plans to build solar power stations in space
What's the story
China is undertaking an ambitious project to build solar power stations in space, a venture that Long Lehao, a senior Chinese scientist, likened to "another Three Gorges Dam project above the Earth," according to South China Morning Post.
The plan is to use super heavy rockets for construction.
Space-based solar power stations would collect energy from the Sun while orbiting the Earth and transmit it back, providing continuous power supply.
Energy stability
A solution to seasonal energy fluctuations
Space-based solar power stations provide a unique advantage as they can collect energy without being affected by seasons or day-night cycles.
Further, the energy density in space is much higher than on Earth's surface, nearly 10 times.
This project has been globally acknowledged as the "Manhattan Project" of the energy sector owing to its potential impact on global power generation.
Project significance
Space-based solar power project is a monumental task
Lehao, a rocket scientist and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), stressed the importance of this project.
He likened it to moving the Three Gorges Dam to a geostationary orbit 36,000km above Earth.
The Three Gorges Dam in central China is the world's largest hydropower project, generating around 100 billion kWh of power annually.
Project scale
Envisioning the scale of China's initiative
Lehao further illustrated the scale of this ambitious project during a lecture hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in October last year.
He asked his audience to "imagine installing a solar array 1km wide along the 36,000km geostationary orbit."
This statement not only underscores the vastness but also the potential impact of China's planned space-based solar power stations on future energy production and consumption.