Greater Earth Energy Syner­gies

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This entre­pren­eur­ial project combines space explor­a­tion with a tech­no­lo­gical response to the need to trans­form our energy mix. It aims to harvest energy beyond the stra­to­sphere using orbit­ing solar panels. The captured elec­trons would then be trans­mit­ted to the earth via beams. This approach aims to minim­ise the pollut­ing back-and-forth of rock­ets to deliver these panels: it envi­sions installing a manu­fac­tur­ing plant on the moon and a space elev­ator connect­ing it to a launch-ramp in geosta­tion­ary orbit.

The energy market is the largest on earth. To meet earthly demand, might it be possible – and prof­it­able – to source an inex­haust­ible supply of clean energy from space? In Europe, the US, China, Australia, Russia, South Korea and Japan, univer­sity labor­at­or­ies and space agen­cies are jointly research­ing into energy trans­ition – includ­ing the oppor­tun­ity to steer the space industry towards energy produc­tion.

Most solu­tions for space-based solar power, or space solar energy, rely on systems launched directly from earth. Remark­ably, Greater Earth Energy Syner­gies, the strategy developed by researcher Arthur Woods and designer Andreas Vogler within the Astrostrom agency, envi­sions setting up a solar panel fact­ory directly on the moon, using local mater­i­als. This lunar infra­struc­ture would also produce propel­lant, i.e., rocket fuel. It would signi­fic­antly mitig­ate the bottle­neck of rocket launch capa­city, as well as envir­on­mental impacts. Not only does this project propose a space-based solu­tion to human­ity’s climate and energy prob­lems, it also opens up a new perspect­ive for space explor­a­tion: indeed, what better reason than this to go to the moon?