01-08-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
How Hong Kong can tap into mainland China's space solar power project
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For decades, the idea of beaming solar energy from space has been a subject of intense interest to science-fiction writers and engineers alike. Some scientists consider this the holy grail for energy production as it could provide cheap and abundant clean electricity 24/7, regardless of weather conditions.
Today, nations are racing to build
space-based solar power farms . Experts believe that space-based solar power is now technically feasible, given advancements in reusable heavy-lift rockets and the successful demonstration of wireless power transfer in space by Caltech in 2023.
A 2023 state-of-the-industry study also found space-based solar power to be economically viable, estimating that a first-of-its-kind 2 gigawatt system would cost US$10 billion to build, before returning US$2 billion in annual revenue.
Among the most promising space-based solar power programmes is China's ambitious
OMEGA (Orb-shaped Membrane Energy Gathering Array) project, which could yield a 1km-wide, 2GW orbital solar farm by 2050.
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The basic premise here is to use geostationary satellites to first collect solar energy in space and then wirelessly transmit it to a receiving station in Xian through microwaves.
