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First Contract for beaming solar energy from space has been approved by the California Public Utilities Commission
PG&E has entered into an agreement to receive solar energy generated by Solaren Corp's orbiting satellites through a long term power purchase agreement. Solaren says it can provide 1700 GW-hours of energy a year for the 15-year contract, which starts in 2016. Once the 200 MW solar plant is hoisted into space it has the advantage of 24-hour sunlight. Solar cells in space would capture about five times more energy as that on earth. A mylar mirror, about a kilometer in diameter, would be inflated and float freely once it reach its orbit. Sunlight would be concentrated onto smaller mirrors, which would focus the light on PV modules. The resulting electricity will be converted into radio frequency energy that's transmitted to a receiver station on the ground.
The founders of Solaren are veterans of Hughes Aircraft, Boeing and Lockheed (according to this article from sustainablebusiness.com) so there should be expertise in aerospace projects. That article also points out that Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is also working on a solar power space station.
Jonathan Marshall, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), says there's no risk in the deal for PG&E. "We're paying only for the energy if and when its delivered," says Marshall. "If they don't deliver, we don't pay." The price they agreed to is proprietary, but described by both parties as similar to ground-based solar.
Why is PG&E entering into a somewhat speculative contract like this? maybe because by the year 2020, all California electricity providers will be required to produce a third of their power with renewable sources of energy. That's about double what they produce right now.
8th Annual Renewable Energy Conference
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