“It might work on a bilateral basis initially, and I’ve had interest from our Saudi partners. “I am working internationally to start opening up conversations about space-based solar power with my American counterpart and my French counterpart,” said Mr Shapps, who will announce the £4.3 million funding at London Tech Week on Tuesday. The UK Government is keen to partner with another country on the project and is already in talks with France, the US and Saudi Arabia. Last week, the California Institute of Technology demonstrated the ability to wirelessly beam power from its Space Solar Power Demonstrator satellite, which was picked up on Earth for the first time in a big breakthrough for the technology. The European Space Agency is also looking into the technology through its Solaris programme, with Germany particularly interested because of its reliance on Russia’s Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. Several countries are already exploring space-based solar power, with China planning to launch its first solar power plant in space by 2028.
“We think about a quarter of total electricity could come from this source. “The advantages could be immense,” he added. Mr Shapps said there were “a whole load of technical issues to overcome” including protecting solar panels from asteroids, but he said the payoff could be invaluable, reducing the need for fossil fuels and making household bills more affordable. You follow the science and the impossible becomes possible.” “People thought it was impossible to land a man on the Moon, or impossible to split that atom. “But solar panels in space have the advantage of getting 24 hours of sunlight, which we can’t do on Earth, so it’s definitely worth investing in. “It does sound like something out of a Bond movie,” Mr Shapps said in an interview with The Telegraph. The energy company EDF has also been invited to study how to get the power into the UK grid. On Tuesday, Grant Shapps announced a multi-million pound package to support a space-based solar power plant, which would harness energy from the Sun and wirelessly transmit it back to Earth.Ĭambridge University has been tasked with developing ultra-lightweight solar panels that can survive in the high-radiation environment of space, while Queen Mary, University of London, will research the wireless transmission technology needed to beam the power to the ground. A quarter of Britain’s electricity could be beamed from space with a “Bond-style” floating solar power station, the Energy Secretary has said.
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