China Plans to Build a Giant Solar Power Station in Space

China Plans to Revolutionize Energy with Massive Solar Power Satellite

China plans to revolutionize energy production with the construction of a massive orbital solar power station, a project comparable in scale to the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. The project aims to transmit energy to Earth using wireless technology. If successful, it could open a new chapter in global energy production.

Energy as a Subject of International Rivalry

Access to cheap energy is a key element of technological and economic advantage. While no country is engaged in a conventional war over energy resources, the race for dominance in this field is becoming increasingly fierce. Countries like Norway leverage rich natural resources, while others, like France and the USA, focus on nuclear energy. However, all of these sources have limitations. In space, solar energy is continuously available in enormous quantities.

Chinese Orbital Solar Power Station

Chinese scientists from the Chinese Academy of Engineering have announced the construction of an orbital photovoltaic power station that will convert solar energy into high-energy radio waves. Special receivers on Earth will then convert these waves into electricity. A crucial part of the project will be the new Chang Zheng (Long March) reusable rocket, which will transport the necessary components into orbit.

“We are working on this project. It’s as big as if we wanted to move the Three Gorges Dam to a geostationary orbit at 36,000 km,” said Long Lehao, a scientist from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

If successful, the power station will be capable of generating massive amounts of energy, exceeding the total amount of oil extracted annually on Earth.

Competition in the Space Energy Race

China is not the only country working on wireless energy transmission technology. In 2024, the British company Space Solar announced a breakthrough in this field after conducting successful tests of the HARRIER system. The company plans to launch an orbital power station by 2030 with a capacity of 30 megawatts, which could power between 1,500 and 3,000 homes.

In the USA, the DARPA agency and Raytheon are working on the POWER project, aiming to create an energy transmission system using lasers, while scientists at the University of Tokyo in Japan are testing wireless energy transmission using electromagnetic resonance.

Source: scmp.com