China makes breakthrough in space solar power and wireless energy transmission

A research team led by Duan Baoyan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering has made major progress in the country's "Zhuri" or "Chasing the Sun" project, advancing key technologies for space-based solar power stations and microwave wireless energy transmission.

The team has developed a ground verification system for a space solar power station capable of multi-target microwave wireless energy transmission. The system successfully achieved kilowatt-level power output over a distance of more than 100 meters, marking a step forward toward engineering application of space solar power and wireless energy transfer technologies in China.

Duan said that a space solar power station can be compared to a microwave "charging station" deployed in orbit, which could break the traditional reliance of satellites on their own solar panels. Using advanced microwave wireless transmission technology, such systems could potentially provide continuous energy support for spacecraft in orbit.

The team proposed an innovative distributed Omega architecture for space solar power stations, based on multidisciplinary integration and system-level reliability design. It overcomes key challenges in long-distance, high-power, high-efficiency microwave energy transmission to multiple moving targets, enabling one transmitter system to supply power to several targets simultaneously.

According to the test data, the system achieved a direct current-to-direct current transmission efficiency of 20.8%, an output power of 1,180 watts, and a beam collection efficiency of 88.0% over a distance of around 100 meters. In a separate drone experiment, the system delivered a stable 143 watts of power to a moving drone flying at 30 kilometers per hour at a distance of 30 meters.

Researchers also reported significant improvements in solar energy concentration and photoelectric conversion efficiency, as well as advances in the integration, miniaturization, and lightweight design of transmitting and receiving antennas, laying the groundwork for future deployment in space.