WASHINGTON — A space solar power startup has emerged from stealth after demonstrating a key technology for its plans to transmit power from space to the Earth. Overview Energy announced Dec. 10 that it successfully tested a system that transmitted power using a near-infrared laser from an aircraft flying at an altitude of 5,000 meters to a receiver on the ground.
The test involved transmitting “multiple thousands of watts” of power from the aircraft to a receiver on the ground, where it was converted into electricity, said Marc Berte, founder and chief executive of Overview Energy, in an interview.
Space-based solar power offers the potential of providing vast amounts of power without the limitations of terrestrial solar power, which is unavailable at night or in cloudy conditions, and without the environmental impacts of many other energy sources.
The company’s approach differs from other concepts for space solar power in that it will transmit the power it collects in space using near-infrared lasers to existing terrestrial solar facilities, allowing them to generate power at times when they would be idle.
