Space Solar Power Demonstrator

An animated look at Caltech's Space Solar Power Demonstrator.

[oliverreinhard]

all the best to make that SSPD successful !

[givezerofx]

Wondering if this would work since I was about 8 years old figured somebody already thought of it

[RobertWF]

Rather than build giant solar arrays in orbit & beam the power to Earth, this technology could be used to transmit power from an Earth-based array (say in the Sahara Desert) to receivers in populated areas, right?

[vansnyder]

There was nothing in the article or video about the energy return on energy invested. Is it greater than 1.0, for the entire system, including construction, launch, ground receiver and processing, operations, transmission connection, ...? Otherwise, it's a net energy loss.

[sermadreda]

I can reduce cost and/or raise effeciency of the multijunction solar cell, significant cost reduction

[sunso]

cool stuff!!!!
making Sci fi a step closer to reality!

[leonsantamaria]

is nice....l understand we have to use solar energy.. for make everything work but my question..way we don't have.. different type of energy... not fossil fuel or nuclear the have to be something right 🤔😃

[valnuke]

Our beautiful starry nights are going to completely disappear, instead we'll have more power to mine bitcoin and faster instagram in rural India. I can't wait for such a future

[pandzban]

Microwaves heat up water. Does anybody involved in the project take it into account? I heard we fight global warming, don't we?

[contramendace]

Um, you're planning to test wireless power transfer from where to where? From Maple to Maple? What the hell is Maple, what happened to the "tile" that had built in integrated PV and RF? What happened to beaming energy to Earth? Did withdrawal from Afghanistan cut your Northrop Grumman funding?