Melink Solar’s Post

Rectennas – Limitations and Influences (Part I) Functionally, a rectenna is a circuit comprising of an antenna and a rectifying circuit, that can be used to convert Electro-Magnetic (EM) energy into DC. The origins of a rectenna can be traced all the way back to [1], where a rectenna was used to power a helicopter model [2]. The interest in rectennas have soared in recent years, driven by the rise of new ways of energy harvesting. Of note here is the use of Space Solar Power Satellites (SSPS), which collect and convert solar energy into electrical energy, which is beamed down to a ground station on Earth [3]. Here, the efficiency of conversion from EM to DC is of high importance as inefficiencies result in power waste and increased heat. The principle of EM to dc conversion is very simple, as presented in Fig. 1. Detail link pin on Top Comment !

The Space Studies Institute curates the foundational studies on space-based solar power https://lnkd.in/eW2pBAh6. Stacks of paper and digitized reports are available for the nations and private groups to consult as they develop their SBSP programs. Most recently, South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Research Institute revealed plans to fly a gigawatt-class sunsat in geo by 2050. The CCP plans to put up a low-orbiting demonstrator by 2035. The U.S. is falling behind on space solar, its own invention. Why didn’t NASA attend the International Energy from Space Conference in London in April, along with the other agencies who did? The timelines above are a bit late for net zero by 2050. Space solar could have been started in the 1990s using existing technologies and lunar ISRU. The first shielded free-space city could be orbiting L5 on the back of SBSP’s industrial output. Great presentation here by Robert Smith.

⚡️🔋The first experiment to transmit power to Earth from space just happened! 💡This could lead to a space-based solar power station within 10 years, according to one of the researchers involved. ☝️Such a station would benefit from greater exposure to the sun, due to the lack of clouds and atmosphere along with the ability to avoid nighttime darkness. ⚠️However, the difficulty of designing and making structures large enough to be useful but light enough to launch by rocket has made such a facility impractical. 👏In a step forward, Ali Hajimiri at the California Institute of Technology and his colleagues launched the Microwave Array Power Transfer LEO Experiment (MAPLE) to space in January 2023. 👏👏Two months later, they successfully beamed the first power to Earth, after which they ran the experiment for a further eight months. Ali Hajimiri #solarenergy #solarpower #solar #solarpanels #solarindustry #space #spacetechnology #spaceenergy

🚀 From our latest Pelecanus News! 🛰️ The Space Solar Power Project has transmitted power to earth, from Space for the first time! 🌌☀️ From the article on @spacedotcom: "Through the experiments we have run so far, we received confirmation that MAPLE can transmit power successfully to receivers in space," Co-Director of the Space-Based Solar Power Project, Dr. Ali Hajimiri, said in a statement. "We have also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward Earth, which we detected here at Caltech. We had, of course, tested it on Earth, but now we know that it can survive the trip to space and operate there." #spacesolarpowerproject #SpaceEnergy #CleanFuture 🌠🌱@caltechedu

In this #imageoftheweek, Gemini North telescope, the northern half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab sits at over 4000 meters (nearly 14,000 feet) above sea level, perched near the summit of Maunakea, in Hawai‘i. Can you see the photovoltaic solar panels that were installed on the roof of the telescope building in 2015? These panels generate about 12% of the power required to run Gemini North, supplementing grid power for the telescope during daylight hours. At its high elevation above the clouds, the facility gets more power from this ~100 kW PV system than can be produced from a similar system at sea level! Through its Environmental Sustainability Program, NSF NOIRLab will reduce its entire annual carbon footprint by 50% by the end of 2027. Download the high resolution version of this photo here: https://lnkd.in/eBTkVSTd Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/AURA/NSF/A. Hara

Straight from science fiction, but this time with an established proof of concept! 🌞 The Future of Clean Energy: Beaming Solar Power From Space 🚀 Did you ever imagine a world where solar electricity could be generated in space and transmitted to Earth wirelessly? That future is closer than you think! Scientists and engineers are testing the concept of collecting solar power from satellites and beaming it down to meet our energy needs on the ground. Key Insights: ✅ Satellite-based solar power offers uninterrupted access to sunlight, regardless of weather conditions or time of day. ✅ Caltech's Space Solar Power Demonstrator, launched in January, has shown promising early results in testing key components for space-based solar power. ✅ Microwave beams are the preferred method for transmitting power from space to the ground due to their ability to travel through the atmosphere unaffected by weather. ✅ The challenge lies in developing safe, efficient, and reliable methods to transmit gigawatts of power and convert it into usable electricity on Earth. ✅ Anticipated applications include military operations, emergency power supply, and providing electricity to remote areas without access to traditional grids. ✅ Addressing concerns about safety and cost are essential for wider adoption of space-based solar power. https://lnkd.in/djrUQ4Ay #SolarPower #RenewableEnergy #SpaceTechnology #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #FutureEnergy #PowerFromSpace #Innovation #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition

just reading about solar power generation in space and Britain has had a test satellite in orbit for the last year or two. The couple of reports I have read I'm the last few weeks are suggesting that this is now looking, not only possible, but worth the money spent. for those who have never heard of space solar power generation, there are two parts to the system. 1) the space part: the satellite 🛰️ with the PV panels stretched out to catch as much light as possible. I would think this would need a massive area covered, 500 m2, 100 m2 or more? 2) the ground part: the ground station that receives the power. it seems they would be using microwaves as the power transmission medium between the sat and the ground receiver. The problems they have been working on are the efficiency of the microwaves transmission and the safety of the beam through the atmosphere. i.e. you don't want a plane to fly through it. As the satellite can sit in sunshine 24-7 and solar PV is a lot more efficient in space than on the ground, you can afford a drop in power generation. So will we see this technology in the next 10 years or less? will this be a big help to slow down the climate emergency if enough is put in place? Hopefully they have thought about how space junk may affect this!

https://lnkd.in/dH5zWf3z  Space base solar power which transmit energy to the earth wirelessly 

NOAA forecasts quicker, stronger peak of solar activity - https://lnkd.in/e9giKFef - NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a revised prediction for solar activity during Solar Cycle 25 that concludes solar activity will increase more quickly and peak at a higher level than that predicted by an expert panel in December 2019. The updated prediction now calls for Solar Cycle 25 to peak between January

Could 24/7 solar power from orbit be the answer to the world's future energy challenges? 🌍🛰 It is with this question that the International Conference on Power from Space 2024, held at the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), is presented. A high-level conference with the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, the RAeS, the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency - ESA. This event brought together international experts in the field to explore the latest thinking, research and challenges developed in the field. Representatives from government, industry and academia shared their passion and optimism about space-based solar power (SBSP), revealing innovative new concepts and considering the challenges that must be overcome to make it a reality. Pablo Sanmartín Andújar travelled there to keep up to date of these developments, as well as to showcase research carried out within Advances in Photovoltaic Technology (AdPVTech) that can be introduced in this field, such as optical photovoltaic converters (OPCs) based on innovative wide-bandgap materials to achieve unprecedented efficiency in high-power laser transmission (LPT). https://lnkd.in/eCXPHND7 #adpvtech #photovoltaic #conference #space #SBSP #OPC #LPT