California startup Aetherflux is testing space-based solar farms
The return of the solar power from space to earth using lasers seems like science fiction, and in the 1940s, a Isaac Asimov even swams in the short story.
But exactly what a California -based initiative tested: mini sun farms in the form of low orbit satellites.
California -based initiative Eeterflux Next year, it plans to send satellite technology to orbit in a SpaceX rocket. Robinity He is the CEO of the Founding Joint Baiju Bhatt company.
“We will do the constellation of the satellites, whom each one transmits power with infrared lasers,” Bhatt said. He said. “And the benefits of this, number one, unlike a monolithic, but also the point where you can reflect the ground – the real thing that collects power – you can make small.”
Solar energy would be gathered in space and then a network of small, black power stations wirelessly from lasers. Having several stations to collect energy makes the satellite system more efficient.
“You may be a satellite that reflects the power on the ground, and as you continue to move around the world, another ground station will find and begin to reflect power there.”
Aetherflux works with the US Department of Defense, which Bhatt first says it is an important market, because it solves the problem of getting strengthened in the battlefield, where caravans of diesel generators become enemy targets.
This first stage is attractive for investors, such as Bill Gates’s groundbreaking energy initiatives, saying that the work with the government will help to quickly scaze the company’s company to a wider market.
“The military customer, we can serve, we can build a constellation and we can be on a scale of a customer is large enough – and a better word lack of words, we think it is difficult enough – and at this point, we will reduce the cost of technology to other customers,” he said.
In addition to the breakthrough, Aetherflux Index Ventures are supported by Andrereessen Horowitz and New Enterprise Associates. The total financing so far is $ 60 million.
Bhatt said that technology is now expensive and that the difficulty would make it suitable for other energy sources. He said he thought that progress in launch technology and maturation of components would be important factors.
It should reduce more satellite costs with newer versions of technology.
Aetherflux is not the only company to discover space -based solar farms.
Others include Cal-Tech, Virtus Solis and England-based Space Solar. Earlier this year, China announced its plan to build a 1 -kilometer solar station that will constantly return energy through microwaves in space.
– CNBC producer Lisa Rizzolo contributed to this piece.
