A new innovative laser has answered a dire question in the solar power industry.
How do we increase the amount of solar power generated without upsizing the panels we use, both here on Earth and in space? Well, one company has been working on a solution and recently broke a record that will change the energy industry’s perspective on the solar market.
Are you ready for your home to be powered from space?
How one simple idea nearly 200 years ago changed the energy game
When the first solar panel system was invented in 1884 in the iconic city of New York, American inventor Charles Fritts proved that solar conversion of the sun’s power was a reality.
While his invention only provided around 1-3% of what modern-day solar panels are capable of, the impact was profound.
He proved that solar power can be achieved, and the race was on. Over time, interest in the solar power sector has waned, with some seeing it as the only path towards a cleaner energy sector, while others simply saw it as the latest small-scale energy fascination to keep us occupied.
But the impact of the solar sector has become a true marvel of modern times.
The green energy monster has an insatiable appetite for growth
The recent geopolitical issues in the energy-rich nations of the world have seen the price of oil and gas skyrocket.
The illegality of the dark side of oil has led us down a very dangerous path indeed. For us and our energy needs, this means that more and more of us are turning to the untapped power of natural energy and the green monster that we have created.
So what option do we have but to turn to the renewable energy market to power our homes and dreams of a more harmonious world?
One recent invention has forced us to look up into the vastness of space and ponder: are our answers to the burning energy questions lingering in space? Some say yes, and they have the data to prove it.
The cosmos holds a potential list of secrets that could power the world for the foreseeable future, if we can “hack” into the power it has stored away.
The sun produces enough power to light up our lives in one hour than what we here on Earth use in a whole year. So why not get a little closer to making solar power that much more effective?
An innovative starcatcher that beams a shot of energy towards us
The Starcatcher is an innovation that acts like an energy beam that can dramatically increase solar panel efficiency.
As rooftop solar panels are subjected to the issues of weather disruptions here on Earth, a new innovative method was needed. The invention catches the solar rays from the sun, which are much more powerful in space due to their proximity to the sun, and beams them towards customer satellites with solar panels.
The concentrated beam of energy can boost satellite solar panels’ energy production by 2 to 10 times their normal output capacity.
A new world record beamed into reality thanks to the innovation
The beam of light recently set a new world record for energy production, beating out the previous record set by DARPA. The system beamed 1.1 KW of power at NASA’s iconic Kennedy Space Center using regular old solar panels that can be bought anywhere down here on Earth.
The system differs from DARPA in that it uses an optical multi-spectrum laser instead of generating microwaves from solar power.
New Earth-based innovations in solar power may hold answers closer to home, but the Starcatcher system is aiming to reap the rewards of space-based energy production.