Long Lehao, a senior Chinese scientist, plans to use super heavy rockets to build large solar power stations in space, South China Morning Post reports (unpaywalled copy).

These stations will collect energy from the sun in orbit and transmit it to Earth. Long compares this project to moving the Three Gorges Dam into space. The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China is the world’s top hydroelectric power producer.

Space-based solar stations can operate continuously, unaffected by seasons or night. They capture much more energy in space than on Earth. Long envisions a vast solar array, 1km wide, in a geostationary orbit 36,000km above Earth.

Heavy-lift rockets like the Long March-9 will launch this celestial solar farm into geostationary orbit, architecture and design magazine Dezeen reports.

The geostationary positioning will keep the solar farm stationary relative to Earth, enabling constant energy collection. The solar farm will use photovoltaic technology to convert sunlight into electricity. This setup is ten times more efficient than solar panels on Earth, operating 24/7 without atmospheric interference. Energy will beam back to Earth using microwaves. Chinese aerospace engineers started this project in Chongqing in 2019, with hopes it will match the energy output of all Earth’s oil in a year.

A global push toward solar energy and SBSP

This project reflects a global push towards solar energy, showcased in innovative projects and Dezeen‘s “Solar Revolution” series.

It also reflects the beginning of a global push toward Space-based solar power (SBSP). SBSP provides a steady, high-intensity energy source, free from weather, night, or seasonal constraints. This could significantly cut fossil fuel use, helping combat climate change.

This idea of SBSP may sound like science fiction, but it is an actual possibility. Of course there are big challenges, first and foremost the fact that sending equipment into space is still expensive. But the costs are going down.

John Mankins covered SBSP methods and proposals in “The Case for Space Solar Power” (2014).

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