You read that correctly.California based electric utility PG&E has reached a deal with solar energy company Solaren to purchase any power the company can produce from a proposed 200 MW solar plant to be launched into orbit. The project is scheduled to come online in 2016. On the surface, the deal looks as if PG&E's rate payers will be protected because the utility will only be obligated to pay for the electricity and not the construction.
As far as the technology is concerned, Solaren and its team of engineers have plans to launch their SSP (Space Solar Power) plant into geosynchonous orbit meaning it will travel around the earth at that same speed as the earth's rotation completing its cycle in one day. It will then obsorb power from the sun and direct it back to a receiving antenna on earth through microwaves.
So this all seems futuristic. It is, but the concept has been around for the past 30 years or so. The incentives for developing this technology are endless. In terms of energy, the solar power accumulated in space is 8 to 10 times more powerful than it is on earth because there is not any atmospheric interference. Also, the plant would constantly be in the sun so it would provide a steady base load of power.
If Solaren can pull this off for a reasonable price, then they deserve congratulations. Good luck!
To learn more check out PG&E's blog Next100.
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