Solar Power Satellites

V. Pavan Kumar

07991A0485

4th ECE,

St. Theressa Institute Of Engineering & Technology.

Abstract:
The new millennium has introduced
increased pressure for finding new renewable
energy sources. The exponential increase in
population has led to the global crisis such as
global warming, environmental pollution and
change and rapid decrease of fossil reservoirs.
Also the demand of electric power increases at a
much higher pace than other energy demands as
the world is industrialized and computerized.
Under these circumstances, research has been
carried out to look into the possibility of
building a power station in space to transmit
electricity to Earth by way of radio waves-the
Solar Power Satellites. Solar Power Satellites
(SPS) converts solar energy in to micro waves
and sends that microwaves in to a beam to a
receiving antenna on the Earth for conversion to
ordinary electricity.
 SPS is a clean, large-scale, stable  Perform design studies of selected flight
electric power source. Solar Power Satellites is demonstration concepts;
known by a variety of other names such as  Evaluate studies of the general feasibility,
Satellite Power System, Space Power Station, design, and requirements.
Space Power System, Solar Power Station,  Create conceptual designs of subsystems
Space Solar Power Station etc. One of the key that make use of advanced SSP technologies
technologies needed to enable the future to benefit future space or terrestrial
feasibility of SPS is that of Microwave Wireless applications.
Power Transmission.WPT is based on the  Formulate a preliminary plan of action for
energy transfer capacity of microwave beam i.e, the U.S. (working with international
energy can be transmitted by a well focused partners) to undertake an aggressive
microwave beam. Advances in Phased array technology initiative.
antennas and rectennas have provided the  Construct technology development and
building blocks for a realizable WPT system. demonstration roadmaps for critical Space
Solar Power (SSP) elements.
History:
The concept of a large SPS that would be
Design:
placed in geostationary orbit was invented by
Space-based solar power
Peter Glaser in 1968. The SPS concept was
essentially consists of three parts:
examined extensively during the late 1970s by
the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) and the
1. a means of collecting solar power in space,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
for example via solar cells or a heat engine
(NASA). The DOE-NASA put forward the SPS
2. a means of transmitting power to earth, for
Reference System Concept in 1979. The central
example via microwave or laser
feature of this concept was the creation of a
3. a means of receiving power on earth, for
large scale power infrastructure in space,
example via a microwave antenna (rectenna)
consisting of about 60 SPS, delivering a total of
about 300GW.But, as a result of the huge price
The space-based portion will be in a
tag, lack of evolutionary concept and the
freefall, vacuum environment and will not need
subsiding energy crisis in 1980-1981, all U.S
to support itself against gravity other than
SPS efforts were terminated with a view to re-
relatively weak tidal stresses. It needs no
asses the concept after about ten years. During
protection from terrestrial wind or weather, but
this time international interest in SPS emerged
will have to cope with space-based hazards such
which led to WPT experiments in Japan.
as micrometeors and solar storms.

Purpose: Solar energy conversion (solar

In 1999 NASA's Space Solar photons to DC current):
Power Exploratory Research and Technology
program (SERT) was initiated for the following Two basic methods of converting sunlight
purpose: to electricity have been studied: photovoltaic
(PV) conversion, and solar dynamic (SD)
conversion.
 Most analyses of solar power satellites Spacecraft sizing:
have focused on photovoltaic conversion
(commonly known as “solar cells”). The size of a solar power
Photovoltaic conversion uses semiconductor satellite would be dominated by two factors: the
cells (e.g., silicon or gallium arsenide) to size of the collecting apparatus (e.g. panels and
directly convert photons into electrical power mirrors), and the size of the transmitting
via a quantum mechanical mechanism. antenna. The distance from Earth to
geostationary orbit (22,300 miles, 35,700 km),
Wireless power transmission to the chosen wavelength of the microwaves, and
certain laws of physics (specifically the
the Earth: Rayleigh Criterion or diffraction limit) will all
be factors.
Wireless power transmission was
proposed early on as a means to transfer energy Location:
from collection to the Earth's surface. The power
could be transmitted as either microwave or GEO:
laser radiation at a variety of frequencies
depending on system design. Whichever choice
The main advantage of locating
is made, the transmitting radiation would have to
a space power station in geostationary orbit is
be non-ionizing to avoid potential disturbances
that the antenna geometry stays constant, and so
either ecologically or biologically. This
keeping the antennas lined up is simpler.
established an upper limit for the frequency
Another advantage is that nearly continuous
used, as energy per photon (and consequently
power transmission is immediately available as
the ability to cause ionization) increases with
soon as the first space power station is placed in
frequency. Ionization of biological materials
orbit; other space-based power stations have
doesn't begin until ultraviolet or higher
much longer start-up times before they are
frequencies, so most radio frequencies would be
producing nearly continuous power.
feasible.

LEO/MEO instead of GEO:

A collection of LEO (Low

Earth Orbit) space power stations has been
proposed as a precursor to GEO
(Geostationary Orbit) space-based solar
power. There would be both advantages
(shorter energy transmission path, lower
cost) and disadvantages (frequent changes in
antenna geometries, increased debris
collisions, more power stations needed to
receive power continuously). It might be
possible to deploy LEO systems sooner than
GEO because the antenna development
would take less time, but it may take longer
 to prepare and launch the number of The SBSP concept is attractive
required satellites. because space has several major advantages over
the Earth's surface for the collection of solar
Moon: power. There is no air in space, so the collecting
surfaces would receive much more intense
sunlight, unaffected by weather. In geostationary
People such as David Criswell suggest
orbit, an SPS would be illuminated over 99% of
that the moon is the optimum location for
the time; such an SPS would be in Earth's
solar power stations, and promote lunar shadow on only a few days at the spring and fall
solar power. equinoxes; and even then for a maximum of 75
minutes late at night when power demands are at
The main advantages of locating the their lowest. This characteristic of SBSP avoids
solar power collector on the moon is that the expense of storage facilities (dams, oil
most of its mass could be constructed out of storage tanks, coal dumps) necessary in many
locally available lunar materials, using in- Earth-based power generation systems.
situ resource utilization, significantly Additionally, SBSP would have fewer or none
reducing the amount of mass and therefore of the ecological (or political) consequences of
the launch costs required compared to other fossil fuel systems.
space-based solar power stations.

Earth-based infrastructure:

The Earth-based receiver antenna (or

rectenna) is a critical part of the original SPS
concept. It would probably consist of many short
dipole antennas, connected via diodes.
Microwaves broadcast from the SPS will be
received in the dipoles with about 85%
efficiency[58]. With a conventional microwave
antenna, the reception efficiency is still better,
but the cost and complexity is also considerably
greater, almost certainly prohibitively so.
Rectennas would be multiple kilometers across.
Crops and farm animals may be raised
underneath a rectenna, as the thin wires used for
support and for the dipoles will only slightly
reduce sunlight, or non arable land could be Conclusion:
used, so such a rectenna would not be as
expensive in terms of land use as might be
SBSP is applicable on a global
supposed.
scale. Nuclear power raises questions of
proliferation and waste disposal, which pose
Advantages: problems everywhere, but especially in
undeveloped areas which are less capable of
coping with them. SBSP poses no such known
potential threat.

This technology can be of

value to relief efforts in disaster areas. SBSP
could step in at short notice to provide as much
power as is necessary both for the relief effort
and to provide continuity of energy until ground
based transfer methods are restored.

 More reliable than ground based solar

power

 In order for SPS to become a reality it

several things have to happen:

– Government support

– Cheaper launch prices

– Involvement of the private sector