Partnerships and Expanding Interest in Space Solar Power
- Space Frontier Foundation
- Sep 1, 2024
- 3 min read
SSP Bulletin – September 2024
Our Mission: To create the landscape and conditions for commercial Space Solar Power technology by the U.S. to become successful and self-sustaining.
Space Frontier Foundation Updates
We are hosting a congressional briefing on the Hill on September 30 to brief staffers on SBSP. Perspectives covered will be from the Energy, National Competitiveness, Spillover Benefits, and Spectrum considerations.
Check out our new SBSP project webpage that outlines our current efforts and direction, hosts previous newsletters and a curated list of recommended readings tailored for individuals of various roles and backgrounds.
Our team will be attending the Special Competitiveness Studies Project (SCSP) think tank's AI+Energy Summit in D.C. on September 26 to learn about the data center industry’s high energy demands and network with professionals.
Other Notable Updates
Florida-based Star Catcher Industries has acquired $12.25 million in seed funding and plan to send first satellites to orbit next year.
University of Toledo received $15 million in funding from AFRL to study space-based solar technology.
Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital has issued RFIs for new loan program aimed to support critical space-based technologies.
Virtus Solis has created and tested their own wireless power transfer code, demonstrating the ability to accurately simulate and optimize large-scale SBSP systems under realistic conditions.
Space Solar has been awarded £1.2 million by the UK Government for the LOT 4 SBSP Innovation Competition. This funding supports the CASSIOPeiA design iteration (CASSiDI) project, advancing their modular concept design for space-based solar power and conducting wireless power transmission tests with the HARRIER prototype.
Proving that radiation from radiofrequency power transfer does not increase cancer risk, this article is a significant milestone towards increasing public acceptance of SBSP.
Promising Use Cases
Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) emphasizes the need for a diverse and reliable energy mix to keep AI data centers in the U.S. and maintain American competitiveness in AI. A stable and abundant energy supply is crucial not only for powering these data centers but also for enabling the long-term regulation and growth of AI technologies. SBSP could be a key solution, offering a continuous energy source that supports the increasing power demands of AI development and deployment, ensuring the U.S. remains a leader in the field.
Achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050 will require a $21.4 trillion investment in electricity grids, of which $17.3 trillion needs to go towards expanding power grids to meet new electricity demands. Modernizing the grid includes improving grid flexibility to integrate renewable energy sources—which is where SBSP could come in. By providing continuous renewable energy, SBSP offers a promising solution towards both managing energy demands and enabling a smooth transition to net-zero.
In their study, SCSP examined the varying projections of AI-related electricity usage. With the rapid adoption of AI, and the emergence of more complex AI tasks, energy requirements are likely to exceed predictions. As a clean, scalable energy solution, SBSP could play a crucial role in addressing this strain on current infrastructure in order to meet the unpredictable but ever-increasing energy demand of AI. Technology companies already feel the crunch. Here is how major technology companies — Microsoft, Oracle, and Elon's clusters — are responding to the demand.
SSP Coverage in the News
Outsiders' Perspectives
This article from Power Engineering describes SBSP as a viable solution to meet the growth in energy demands, and is optimistic about the future of SBSP as it is already moving from theoretical concepts to practical development and demonstrations.
In Space Daily, Professor Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC Berkeley, identifies SBSP as a potential collaborative technology between the U.S. and China to achieve each country's respective climate change goals.
Green Match, a blog on alternative energy in the UK, recognizes SBSP's potential through a comprehensive infographic and article and remains hopeful despite the technical hurdles that need to be overcome.
View the full SSP Bulletin archive here.
