The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a contract with Overview Energy to develop, build and test a guidance beacon for a space solar power system. It is intended to help satellites precisely direct near-infrared energy to ground-based solar receiver arrays, OilPrice reports.
Overview Energy plans to conduct a technology demonstration in low Earth orbit in 2028. The company tentatively plans to begin commercial deployment of a satellite constellation in geosynchronous orbit in 2030.
The concept involves placing solar panels in orbit to collect sunlight and transmit energy to Earth. Depending on the technological solution, this could use high-power lasers or microwave radiation. According to OilPrice, such systems could potentially generate electricity around the clock, unlike ground-based solar power plants.
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The U.S. military department is considering space solar power, in particular, to supply electricity to remote military bases. Overview Energy co-CEO Darko Filipi said that the connection between space and ground infrastructure is a critical element of the technology, especially for the military, which needs energy in specified locations.
Separately, Meta has entered into an agreement with Overview Energy for early access to up to 1 gigawatt of capacity from a future space solar system. At the same time, a full system for transmitting energy from space to Earth has not yet been demonstrated in orbit. Stanford physicist and RMI think tank co-founder Amory Lovins expressed doubts about the technology’s economic viability, although he suggested that it could work.
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