e360 digest

17 Jun 2009: Solar Power from Satellites
Gains Momentum among U.S. Companies

The dream of launching satellites into space to harness the sun’s energy and beam it back to earth is looking increasingly realistic as U.S. companies aggressively research the technology. One firm, PowerSat Corp. of Everett, Wash., has filed for patents that it says could overcome two of the major hurdles facing satellite solar technology. The company said it is developing technology that could link as many as 300 satellites together in space, allowing satellites covered in photovoltaic cells to beam energy to one big satellite, which would then transmit the energy to earth. The second technology would help lower the high cost of launching satellites into orbit by using solar-powered electronic thrusters to send the satellites from low-earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the earth. The Pentagon has studied solar satellite technology for decades, but has not aggressively pursued the program because of its high costs. But PowerSat said in a news release, “The underlying technology components are proven and systems will be deployable within a decade.”

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