EDF secures funding for space-based solar study

EDF will lead a study exploring the value of introducing space-based solar power into the UK’s grid.

It is one of eight projects to win government funding to develop space-based solar initiatives. Leading UK universities and technology companies are heading up the other schemes, receiving a share of £4.3 million of funding.

Other winning project teams will develop ultra-lightweight solar panels to be connected to satellites that can function in the high-radiation conditions of space, and the development of a wireless system to enable the solar power collected in space to be transferred to earth.

An independent study in 2021, carried out by Frazer-Nash Consultancy, found that space-based solar power could generate up to 10GW of electricity a year, a quarter of the UK’s power needs, by 2050.

Energy security and net zero secretary Grant Shapps said: “I want the UK to boldly go where no country has gone before – boosting our energy security by getting our power directly from space.

“We’re taking a giant leap by backing the development of this exciting technology and putting the UK at the forefront of this rapidly emerging industry as it prepares for launch.

“By winning this new space race, we can transform the way we power our nation and provide cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy for generations to come.”

The eight projects to be awarded funding from the government’s Space Based Solar Power Innovation Competition include:

• The University of Cambridge is receiving over £770,000 to develop ultra-lightweight solar panels that can survive long periods in high-radiation environments like the conditions in space. This will help increase the lifetime of these satellites, improve energy yields and lower the cost per unit of energy.
• Queen Mary University in London will receive over £960,000 to develop a wireless power transmission system with high efficiency over a long range, to support the technology to beam solar power from the satellites back to Earth.
• MicroLink Devices in Port Talbot, South Wales, has been awarded over £449,000 to develop the next generation of lightweight, flexible solar panels, which could be used for solar satellites.
• The University of Bristol is receiving over £353,000 to produce a simulation of solar space wireless power transfer capability to explore the possibilities of this technology, and provide further evidence on the performance, safety, and reliability of space based solar.
• Satellite Applications Catapult in Didcot has been awarded over £999,000 for an experiment to test the electronical steering and beam quality of its space satellite antenna technology. The company are receiving over £424,000 for another project to study how to advance commercial space-based solar power that can provide a reliable source of electricity for the UK.
• Imperial College London is receiving over £295,000 for a study to assess the key benefits and impacts of space solar, including how solar energy from space could be integrated into the electricity grid alongside other low-carbon energy sources.
• EDF Energy R&D UK Centre Ltd will receive over £25,000 for a study to improve knowledge of the value of introducing space based solar power into the UK’s grid.

David Ferguson, head of Net Zero at EDF UK R&D, said: “The world will not achieve net zero without innovation so R&D is incredibly important in exploring new technologies such as space-based solar power.

“It’s potential is out of this world but there are a number of key questions to be explored so we’re excited to be part of the UK government’s innovation programme that will hopefully lead to the UK one day launching its own mission to launch a solar satellite into space.”

The funding largely comes from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) which has put up £3.3 million with an additional £1 million from the UK Space Agency.

Mamatha Maheshwarappa, payload systems lead at the UK Space Agency, said: “Space technology and solar energy have a long history – the need to power satellites was a key driver in increasing the efficiency of solar panels which generate electricity for homes and businesses today.

“There is significant potential for the space and energy sectors to work together to support the development of space-based solar power, and the UK Space Agency has contributed £1 million to these innovative projects to help take this revolutionary concept to the next level.”