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The new Zhuri system will beam power over a span of more than 36,000 kilometres, from geostationary orbit down to Earth.
For years, scientists and engineers have highlighted the potential of space-based solar power for addressing terrestrial energy shortages.
Now, researchers at Xidian University, China, are developing new technologies to harvest solar energy in space and transmit it wirelessly to Earth.
The project, known as Zhuri or “chasing the sun,” focuses on building systems capable of beaming power from geostationary orbit, more than 36,000 kilometres away.
On the university campus in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, associate professor Fan Guanheng and his team have demonstrated key components for their new approach to space-based solar power.
Using a 4.8-metre dome-shaped mirror suspended from a 75-metre tower, they concentrate sunlight onto solar panels.
The generated electricity is then converted into microwaves and transmitted over 100 metres to a rectenna, which converts the waves back into usable power.
Recent tests achieved kilowatt-level transmission and showed the system could direct energy to multiple moving targets simultaneously, according to an expert review panel last month.
The Xidian University team is also experimenting with 2-7 meter-wide Fresnel lenses, which focus light efficiently with less material while using cooling fluids to manage heat.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Fan explained the process in three stages: light concentration, microwave conversion and transmission, and rectification. The researchers conducted their tests during peak sunlight hours between 10 am and 3 pm.
Space-based solar power offers significant advantages over ground installations. Solar energy density in orbit can reach six times that on Earth’s surface, unaffected by night cycles, weather, or atmospheric interference.
“That is why space-based solar power is a potential way out of the energy crisis on Earth,” Fan said.
The new project is led by Xidian’s Duan Baoyan, a pioneering electromechanical engineer and former president of the university.
Duan, who was inspired to start this work in 2012 by NASA’s SPS-ALPHA concept of modular satellite arrays, envisions large-scale systems. A one-gigawatt station –sufficient for a mid-sized city–would require mirrors spanning hundreds of metres.
However, challenges remain, such as addressing the deployability of foldable or self-assembling structures, achieving precise microwave targeting, and ensuring beam safety for aircraft and the environment.
The new Xidian design uses modular units flying in formation rather than a single massive structure, improving resilience and maintenance.
China’s efforts place it among leaders in the field, alongside the United States and Japan.
While orbital deployment remains the long-term goal, nearer-term applications include wireless charging of satellites in orbit or powering lunar bases from orbit or the Moon’s surface.
For the team, the next priority is securing funding for orbital experiments. If successful, the technology could provide continuous, high-efficiency clean energy, transforming the global power supply.
Chris Young is a journalist, copywriter, blogger and tech geek at heart who’s reported on the likes of the Mobile World Congress, written for Lifehack, The Culture Trip, Flydoscope and some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including NEC and Thales, about robots, satellites and other world-changing innovations.
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