热能动力工程——信息动态专栏

Space-based Solar Power

As the energy demand and environmental concerns progressively increase, renewable and sustainable energy becomes more and more important. Solar power, as one of the green energy, has been being used for some of our daily lives and become a familiar sight around the world. However, there are two major hurdles in harnessing solar power. One is the solar panel efficiency, with state-oftheart photovoltaics of about 30 percent efficiency, and the other is its region or weather dependence. To better harness solar power, China has set an ambitious step before the rest of world. China is going to put a solar power station in orbit by 2050 and is building a test facility to identify the best way to send power to the ground.