“It could be twice as efficient or more.”

Virtus Solis believes that getting closer to the source can open a new era of reliable, low-cost solar energy for everyone everywhere.

However, this Michigan startup is not planning a new tower on Earth. Instead, it hopes to build the first-ever solar farm in space. According to Curious Engineering, the Virtus Solis idea was presented in April during the International Conference on Energy from Space in London.

John Bucknell, a former SpaceX rocket engineer who founded Virtus Solis in 2019, suggested using a SpaceX spacecraft to place a massive solar system in Molniya orbit. The startup claims that with this orbit, “one or more systems will be 100% visible within the line of sight of ground stations.”

Theoretically, once a spacecraft launches hundreds of satellites into space in a single trip, robots in orbit would help assemble a system that would convert sunlight into electricity and use a microwave receiver to transmit the concentrated energy to selected stations equipped with rectifiers.

“The rectangle… is like an antenna with another circuit added that can convert the radio frequency into something useful. In fact, the receivers we have can be twice as efficient or more efficient than a typical ground-mounted solar plant,” Dr. Edward Tate said on Interest Engineering’s Lexicon podcast.

Virtus Solis states on its website that “each 1.65-meter satellite delivers 1 kilowatt (kW) of power to the ground,” and its power beam is capable of “instantly” delivering power to 50% of the Earth’s surface at a given time. In Molniya’s “highly eccentric” orbit, a complete cycle takes about 12 hours, according to NASA satellites.

If the system is ultimately successful, it could be a tempting clean energy solution. On its website, the company explains why it decided a solar farm in space was the best solution.

This partly points to the harmfulness of dirty fuels, which release heat-trapping gases and toxic particles when burned. This pollution has led to an increase in crop-damaging weather events and has been linked to serious health problems, including some cancers.

Meanwhile, the planet’s solar farms cannot harvest energy from the sun 24/7, which means battery storage is essential for the grid to provide consistent power.

Virtus Solis believes its technology is scalable, capable of integrating with our existing solar farms, and will meet the challenge of providing reliable solar power in regions that experience long winters and limited daylight.

The startup certainly has many years – if not decades – of research ahead of it before its system is ready for safe and meaningful use. Curious Engineering reported that the startup will launch its first test satellite only in 2027.

However, researchers are constantly working on Earth-related photovoltaic solutions. These appear to be much more feasible options for providing our planet with reliable, non-polluting energy at a low cost.

For example, existing solar systems already save homeowners about $1,500 a year on electricity bills and can keep lights on during climate-related power outages.

And while battery storage has traditionally been expensive, Virtus Solis notes, many companies have successfully used cheap, readily available materials such as crushed rock or pebbles to ensure excess renewable energy is available for future use. Early modeling of a twin tower project in Saudi Arabia also showed promise for 24/7 clean energy generation.

Meanwhile, science fiction fans will certainly be keeping a close eye on Virtus Solis’ proposal.

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