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Project Overview

The Need

Global energy use and prices are rising fast, reflecting a huge need for a clean, reliable, base-load electricity supply. India, China, and other developing countries are experiencing massive energy shortages and need to embark on major urban and rural electrification efforts.

Although investment in alternative energy sources has increased, current methods and technologies (wind, ground-based solar, etc.) produce only supplemental power. The only other large-scale, non-carbon, base-load option is nuclear energy.

But the risks of an energy shortage could include more than high prices. In the 20th century, many wars were motivated in part by the need to secure future energy supplies - and, according to the U.S. Pentagon, the risk of such conflict remains high in the 21st century. (See the paper "War Without Oil.")

Our Solution

One of the key benefits of Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) is the ability to send clean energy, virtually anywhere on Earth. Space Energy will have the ability to place receiving antennas in rural areas, circumventing many of the costs and problems associated with traditional transmission. No other form of energy production has this capability, making SBSP an ideal complement to the current global energy market. This technology has the potential to enable the electrification of remote villages and rural regions, resulting in:

Clean running water for millions
Refrigeration of crops and medicines
Safe, affordable lighting for villages
Power for schools and hospitals
An overall increase in the standard of living

The investment required for SBSP could also benefit several other fields, including commercial space exploration and ground-based (terrestrial) solar power:

The development of SBSP is likely to foster and lead to critical photovoltaic (PV) advances that will benefit the entire solar energy market
SBSP is likely to reduce costs across a range of sectors, due to a scaled increase in the volume of everything from launch rates to satellite and PV component production