Beaming Solar Energy From Space Takes a Big Step Forward

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The Wall Street Journal

Technology

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2023

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if there were a way to generate clean solar electricity from space and send it directly to Earth? It sounds like science-fiction, but Caltech engineers are working on ways to collect solar energy on orbiting satellites and wirelessly beam that power back to stations on the ground. The results of their experiments suggest that space-based solar power may have a bright future. But while they’ve been able to show it’s possible on a demonstration satellite, getting power from orbit to Earth is a big challenge. WSJ’s Danny Lewis talks with science journalist Corey S. Powell about what it will take to wirelessly transmit solar energy and how it could transform the future of the grid. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: [email protected] Further reading: Beaming Solar Energy From Space Gets a Step Closer The Next Bets for Renewable Energy Solar Boom Spreads to Timberlands and Self-Storage Rooftops Investments in Solar Power Eclipse Oil for First Time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Get a better grip on the markets.
0:02.7	WSJ's Take on the Week is here to give you a look ahead to the most important events
0:07.8	on the economic and business calendar and what they mean for your money and investments.
0:13.1	Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:30.0	Thanks for listening and now on to the show.
0:40.7	No matter where you are on earth, at any given moment there are thousands of satellites zooming
0:45.7	by overhead.
0:47.5	Almost 12,000 of them as of October 2023, according to the United Nations Office for Outer Space
0:53.1	Affairs.
0:54.6	And a lot of satellites are constantly beaming things back to the ground, like images.
0:59.9	Weather data.
1:02.5	You might even be streaming this podcast thanks to a satellite.
1:05.4	Leave us a five star if you want your favorite platform.
1:08.4	But there's one particular satellite in orbit that's trying to figure out something new.
1:12.9	It's running experiments for scientists at Caltech who think there may be a way to beam
1:16.9	back not just information, but energy.
1:20.7	Solar power from space.
1:22.8	Instead of just covering giant areas with solar collectors, you can beam the energy in a more
1:27.1	intense way and get the energy exactly where you need it.
1:29.9	That's journalist Corey S. Powell.
1:32.1	He wrote about this satellite and its experiments for the Wall Street Journal.
1:35.8	In space, the sun is always shining.
	...

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