Solar power is gaining much power. A study conducted by International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) says that solar power may be deployed in space but it will take at least three decades to do so. It is believed to help overcome the drawbacks of the power sector that we face today, while accepting solar energy as sustainable and reliable source of energy. The study conducted on ten nations in three years revealed that a space based solar power plant is such a solution, which is technically and economically feasible. The satellites would be established in particular orbits, which can harvest the solar energy in space. This energy will then be converted into electricity in the satellite itself and transmitted to earth via LASERS or large microwave transmitting antennas, said a Crazy Engineers' report. The present solar energy harvesting systems are not reliable. The report cites the variation in intensity of sun depending upon place, time and season as a major reason for this. The power from satellites can be used 24X7 without interruption and will remove unreliability. Researchers will have to struggle for this project of space based power plants. The initial funding could be an issue. The governments in India and U.S. have shown interest in this project, which may solve this issue along with funds from the private sector. The exact figures of funding is however, not disclosed. If the space based solar plants become a reality, it will be able to generate twice the amount of energy as generated using earth based power-plants.
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