Article Title

Sunbeams from Space Mirrors Feeding Solar Farms on the Ground at Dusk and Dawn

Authors

Tyler GoldbergFollow
Zoe ZeszutFollow
Steve LarkinFollow
Colin MercerFollow
Shelby RoadesFollow
Jimmy ClarkFollow
Anthony ZoccolaFollow
Logan HayesFollow

Abstract

For 40 years, the systems designers of space solar power have given their greatest attention to wireless power as microwave transmission from space to earth. The approach taken in this application is to place space satellites in lower sunsyncronous orbits for the purpose of gathering and focusing sun’s rays into a beam of reflected sunlight. The simple idea and application of this design is to extend the solar day of terrestrial solar farms, thereby increasing solar production capacity to 60 percent and reducing solar electricity costs to under 6 cents/kWh by delivering sunlight to a given location some 14 (rather than 6 or 7) hours per day.

Advisors: Lewis Fraas, Prof. Don Flournoy, Kyle Perkins

Reflected Sunlight from Space Journal on Vimeo.

Recommended Citation

Goldberg, Tyler; Zeszut, Zoe; Larkin, Steve; Mercer, Colin; Roades, Shelby; Clark, Jimmy; Zoccola, Anthony; and Hayes, Logan (2021) "Sunbeams from Space Mirrors Feeding Solar Farms on the Ground at Dusk and Dawn," Online Journal of Space Communication: Vol. 10: Iss. 17, Article 2.
Available at: https://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/spacejournal/vol10/iss17/2