China's
Academy of Space Technology is working on an orbital power plant that would
capture solar energy in space and beam it back to Earth. The plant would be able to harness solar power
even when it's cloudy back on Earth, since its photovoltaic array would be
floating high above any terrestrial weather.
With
plans to launch a test facility before 2025, pursuing space-based clean energy
shows that China is committed to its ongoing push towards using more renewable
energy and asserting its place among global leaders in space. Needless to say,
the biggest problem for a floating power plant is figuring out how to get the
energy back down to Earth.
The
scientists behind the project are still sorting that part out. But right now,
the plan is to have solar arrays in space capture light from the sun and then
beam electricity down to a facility on Earth in the form of a microwave or a
laser, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
From
there, the electricity could be used just as if it had been generated by
conventional, terrestrial means.
Learn
more here.