UK universities get £4.3m to drive space-based solar power sector
Spaced-based solar power collects energy from the Sun using panels on satellites
UK universities and technology companies will get £4.3m of government funding to drive innovation in the space-based solar power sector.
Spaced-based solar power collects energy from the sun using panels on satellites and beaming it back to earth with wireless technology.
The funding is set to be announced by energy security secretary Grant Shapps this Tuesday at London Tech Week.
“I want the UK to boldly go where no country has gone before – boosting our energy security by getting our power directly from space,” Shapps will say.
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“We’re taking a giant leap by backing the development of this exciting technology and putting the UK at the forefront of this rapidly emerging industry as it prepares for launch.
“By winning this new space race, we can transform the way we power our nation and provide cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy for generations to come.”
An independent study found that space-based solar power could generate up to 10GW of electricity a year – a quarter of the UK’s power needs – by 2050. It could create a multi-billion pound industry, with 143,000 jobs across the country, the study added.
The winning projects include Cambridge University, who will develop ultra-lightweight solar panels for the satellites that can function in the high-radiation conditions of space, and Queen Mary University in London, who are working on a wireless system to enable the solar power collected in space to be transferred to earth.
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The technology has the potential to reduce the need for fossil fuels and drive down household bills by providing solar power all year round. However, the technology is still in the early stages of development.
Mamatha Maheshwarappa, payload systems lead at the UK Space Agency, said: “There is significant potential for the space and energy sectors to work together to support the development of space-based solar power, and the UK Space Agency has contributed £1m to these innovative projects to help take this revolutionary concept to the next level.”
The UK is among several countries, including Japan and United States, committed to the development of space-based solar power.
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