By 2030, Japan plans to put into geostationary orbit (36,000 km from Earth) a plant equipped with numerous photovoltaic panels that convert solar energy into electricity , with an annual capacity 5 to 10 times higher than the panels used on the ground.
This energy would in turn be transformed into energy flows transmitted by beams or microwaves to Earth , where they would be captured by a giant satellite dish that would convert them back into electricity.
“As sunlight is a form of clean and inexhaustible energy, we think that this system can contribute to solve the problems of energy insufficiency and global warming due to greenhouse gases,” the researchers explain. The project is being developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Uninhabited Space Devices Research Institute, which brings together 17 companies, including the electronics groups Mitsubishi Electric, NEC, Fujitsu and Sharp.
