Solar power station can power the Moon

Swiss engineers plan to build a solar power farm that can provide uninterrupted electricity to the Moon base in the form of microwaves.

Solar power station orbiting above the Moon may be possible in the future. Photo: ESA

Unlike in space, solar energy collection on Earth is limited to the number of hours of daylight. Therefore, researchers have long developed ideas and tested ways to build satellites and solar farms that can transmit unlimited clean energy to Earth through microwaves. A new project is taking shape towards transmitting solar energy to the Moon.

According to a recent announcement by the European Space Agency, a team of engineers at the Swiss company Astrostrom introduced details of the Large Earth-Moon Power Station (GE⊕-LPS). Inspired by the shape of a butterfly's wings, the GE⊕-LPS consists of many V-shaped photovoltaic panels arranged in a spiral configuration over an area of ​​one square kilometer. In theory, such a size would allow the satellite station to transmit energy beams of up to 23 megawatts (MW) to the lunar base. One megawatt of electricity can power 200 Texas homes during peak demand periods.

According to the engineering team's research, both GE⊕-LPS and solar cells can be built with materials on the lunar surface such as iron-pyrite. Iron-pyrite is present on Earth, but its components also exist in the topsoil of the Moon. Combining these ingredients allows for synthetic production. With each light-absorbing crystal as large as 1/400th of a millimeter, iron-pyrite could act as a light-reflecting coating for solar cells.

The power station is designed for permanent human habitation, located at the Lagrange point between the Earth and the Moon, 61,350 km above the Moon. The Lagrange point is the position between two celestial bodies where gravity and centrifugal force cancel each other out, creating an equilibrium that requires the least orbital adjustment.

While such a project may seem financially and logistically difficult, the researchers suggest that building and launching satellites from the lunar surface could be easier and more cost-effective than from Earth. In fact, the Astrostrom engineering team estimates that launching from the Moon requires five times less speed change to enter geostationary orbit than launching a satellite on Earth.

“When a project like GE⊕-LPS proves the feasibility of solar satellite parts manufacturing and assembly, we can scale up to create more solar satellites. from the Moon's resources to better serve the Earth," said Sanjay Vijendran, director of ESA's SOLARIS space solar research project.