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In 1941, two astronauts began the seemingly impossible feat of training a robot to operate a solar energy station in space, one capable of beaming power across the Solar System. <\/p>\n
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Of course, this was purely fiction \u2013 the dystopian plot of sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov\u2019s short story \u2018Reason\u2019. However, less than two decades later, real-life scientists started to wonder whether renewables really could be deployed in outer space.<\/p>\n
Last year, researchers at King\u2019s College London found that, by 2050, solar panels in space could reduce Europe\u2019s need for land-based renewable energy<\/a> by 80 per cent. But, is it really that simple?<\/p>\n What is space-based solar?<\/p>\n Space-based solar power (SBSP) systems comprise a constellation of very large satellites in a high-earth orbit, where the sun is visible over 99 per cent of the time.<\/p>\n These satellites would collect solar power using mirror-like reflectors and beam it to a secure fixed point on Earth (without the help of any robots). Here, it would be converted to electricity and delivered to an energy grid so it could be sent to homes and businesses. <\/p>\n A new study commissioned by the UK\u2019s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) suggests that small-scale SBSP could become cost-competitive with other commercial power sources as early as 2040, especially if connected to the grid through existing infrastructure at offshore wind farms, for example.<\/p>\n Is space-based solar the ticket to ending fossil fuels?<\/p>\n The world is dragging its heels when it comes to moving away from fossil fuels, despite the boom in renewables.<\/p>\n Transitioning away from oil and gas became a flashpoint discussion at last year\u2019s COP30 climate summit in Bel\u00e9m, despite not being on the official agenda. It saw more than 90 nations backing the idea of a roadmap that allows each country to set out its own targets to phase out fossil fuels \u2013 but all mention of this was scrubbed from the final deal.<\/p>\n Still, for the first time ever, wind and solar<\/a> generated more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU in 2025 \u2013 while fossil power has declined from 36.7 per cent to 29 per cent of the bloc\u2019s electricity mix.<\/p>\n \u201cAll renewable energy technologies will have a part to play in tackling climate change, especially as energy demand is expected to double by 2050,\u201d Dr Adam Law, a research associate in the Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) at Loughborough University, tells Euronews Green.<\/p>\n Renewables face intermittency problems for a plethora of reasons, including weather conditions and Europe\u2019s outdated grid. It\u2019s why Britain wasted a staggering \u00a31.47 billion (approximately \u20ac1.67bn) by turning off wind turbines<\/a> (curtailment) and paying gas plants to switch on.<\/p>\n \u201cSBSP benefits from there being a lot more sunlight available in space \u2013 1,367 W\/m2 of uninterrupted sunlight, compared to a maximum of 1,000 W\/m2 at the equator and an average of about 100 W\/m2 in the UK, and satellites in the right orbit see the sun almost all the time,\u201d Law adds.<\/p>\n The true cost of space-based solar<\/p>\n