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Mobile WebSiteAccording to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), China plans to build a 200MW-class space solar power station by 2035.
At the 6th Sino-Russian Engineering Forum held in Xiamen, Fujian Province, southeast China last week, Wang Li, a researcher with the China Association for Science and Technology, said that the space solar power station will capture solar energy that will never reach the earth.
Wang said that this energy is converted into microwaves or lasers and then transmitted back to the surface of the earth for people to use. We hope to strengthen international cooperation, realize technological breakthroughs, and let mankind realize the endless dream of clean energy at an early date.
"Compared with traditional fossil energy sources that are increasingly depleted and cause serious environmental problems, space solar energy is more efficient and sustainable, and can provide reliable power supply solutions for satellites and disaster areas or remote areas on Earth."
In 1941, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov popularized the concept of collecting solar energy in space. In 1968, Peter Glaser, an American aviation engineer, wrote a formal proposal for a solar system in space. Since the country listed space solar energy as a key research project in 2008, China has proposed various solar energy collection solutions and made a series of major breakthroughs in wireless energy transmission.
However, technical challenges remain for a long time, because it involves the launch and installation of a large number of solar cell modules, and the efficient wireless transmission of megawatts of energy.
China will invest 200 million yuan (28.4 million U.S. dollars) to establish a test base in Laoshan District, Chongqing, in southwestern China, to study high-power wireless energy transmission and its impact on the environment. Wang said research in this area will drive innovation in China's space science and emerging industries, such as commercial space transportation.
