A team of scientists from the United States Army has successfully tested the prototype of a satellite capable of sending electrical energy from space directly to anywhere on Earth.
The satellite, which is a solar panel the size of a pizza box, was called the Radio Frequency Photovoltaic Antenna Module (PRAM). It was launched into space in May 2020, mounted on an X-37B drone, a top-secret Pentagon model.
In space, sunlight is not blocked by the Earth's atmosphere. As a result, the panel received more lighting there than it would receive anywhere here. However, because it is a small panel, the generated load was only 10 watts, which is enough to power a tablet.
However, an important part of the experiment is still missing, transmitting the energy back to Earth. This is the most complicated process of development, however, the researchers intend to test this in the coming years.
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| PRAM success could mean the end of blackouts. Credit: USA NAVY |
End of blackouts?
The development of electric power transmission satellites is still something embryonic, however, it can mean the end of the occurrence of blackouts, for example.
This possibility exists because these satellites can serve as complementary sources of energy, which can be sent to any location in the world.
"The unique advantage that solar power satellites have over any other energy source is this global transmissibility," explains Paul Jaffe, principal investigator at PRAM.
"You can send energy to Chicago and a fraction of a second later, if necessary, send it to London or BrasÃlia", completes the military.
Another major challenge for the team is to expand the PRAM scale to larger panels, up to kilometers long. "The next logical step is to climb to a larger area that collects more sunlight," said Jaffe.
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