Renewable energy is key to reducing global emissions and space could hold the key.

The use of low-carbon energy sources will reduce industry emissions and curb the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The COP28 discussions at the end of 2023 saw the world pledge to triple renewable energy generation capacity to 11,000 GW by 2030. To meet these targets, the world could be heading up to space to locate its renewable energy resources.

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Up to the highest heights

Netherlands start-up Kitepower uses kites to generate electricity. This novel kind of airborne wind energy (AWE) system swaps wind turbines for kites, a cheaper, lighter option that reportedly offers a more consistent energy supply than turbines. The kite can fly higher than a turbine stands and reach the stronger and steadier winds that are present higher in the atmosphere.

Kitepower’s kite is a fiberglass skeleton that flies in pumping cycles. It flies in a figure-eight pattern for optimal crosswinds. As it is pulled back in it is generating electricity on the ground. The kite is attached to a container-sized battery to store excess energy for later use. Battery storage also means that Kitepower can provide clean energy sources for isolated areas.

Kitepower has partnered with energy company RWE for tests over Ireland and has also been part of exercises in the Caribbean. Similarly, German company SkySails Power sent up an AWE parachute system above Mauritius in December 2022. Power from SkySails was fed into IBL Energy’s grid. At present the airborne wind turbines currently generate 400 megawatt hours per year, which is enough to provide energy for up to 400 homes in Mauritius.

Circuits du Soleil for space energy

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been developing satellite technology to convert the Sun’s energy in space and transmit it back to the Earth. The SOLARIS project would beam clean energy from orbit to support Earth’s energy grid. Space-based solar power would work in similar ways to telecommunications.

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In space the sun’s energy is continual and cloud-free, so offers a consistent energy source. The ESA estimates that sunlight is ten times more intense at the top of the atmosphere than on the Earth’s surface. As airborne wind energy can make use of high and consistent winds, so can space-based solar. Stronger and continual sunlight can be transmitted wirelessly down to dedicated receiver stations on Earth and converted into energy for the local grid.

Energy company Enel is among the ESA’s partners in putting solar panels in space. Enel also partnered with the ESA and SpaceX in 2022 to improve the connectivity of construction sites and power plants in remote areas.

Space-based solar power

Studies have theorised about using the moon for renewable energy projects. The moon has multiple uses in the effort to cultivate space-based renewable energy. Alongside working on space-based solar power, Enel has partnered on feasibility studies for a Lunar Power Plant. The Luna Power Plant would store and distribute energy to potential future moon colonists.

The moon can also be used to maximise solar power. The moon can reflect the sun’s light and further increase the amount of energy that can be captured during the space-based solar process. A Japanese construction company has proposed a belt of solar panels to circle the moon and capture consistent sunlight reflections. The energy would then be sent back to Earth in the same process as the SOLARIS project.

Finally, researchers in Switzerland have worked on a campaign for clean space energy. This includes a Greater Earth Lunar Power Station, which is a solar power satellite constructed primarily from lunar resources.

The Lunar Power Station would be made up of Moon-manufactured solar cells that beam down power to receivers on the moon’s surface for future activities on the moon.

While Moon-based power for potential colonisation is still a somewhat distant sci-fi dream, collecting wind and solar power from the upper levels of the atmosphere is already happening. The upper levels offer constant and uninterrupted power sources that can feed into power grids, support isolated areas, and help the world increase its renewable energy generation.