China to launch one-kilometre-wide solar farm into space
Construction of a giant celestial solar farm is underway in China, with a scale comparable to creating a "Three Gorges Dam project above the Earth".
The solar farm, which would be launched into space using heavy-lift rockets, is expected to stretch one kilometre in width and continuously harvest renewable energy for Earth.
It would be positioned in geostationary orbit, meaning it has an orbital time equivalent to the Earth's rotational period and always remains at the same point above the Earth's surface.
When revealing plans for the structure, Chinese aerospace engineer Long Lehao referred to it as "another Three Gorges Dam project above the Earth", South China Morning Post reported.
They are also estimated to be 10 times more efficient at energy collection than photovoltaic panels on Earth.
According to Global Construction Review, work started on the space solar power station in Chongqing in 2019. It is expected that a reusable heavy-lift rocket, named the Long March-9, will be required to launch the solar farm into orbit.
Once in place, this one-kilometre-wide solar array is expected to harvest as much energy in a year as the total quantity of oil that can be extracted from the Earth, reported Sustainability Magazine. The energy is planned to be transmitted to ground using microwaves.
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