New research from the Universities of Surrey and Swansea University shows that it is possible to create affordable, lightweight solar panels capable of generating electricity in space. The first-of-its-kind study monitored a satellite for six years and across 30,000 orbits, examining the solar panels' ability to generate electricity and adapt to solar radiation. These findings will help develop commercially viable space solar farms.
Recent research has demonstrated the feasibility of lightweight, cost-effective space solar panels, opening the door to potential orbital solar farms and marking a major step forward for renewable energy technology.
Professor Craig Underwood, Emeritus Professor of Spacecraft Engineering at the University of Surrey's Surrey Space Centre, said: "We are delighted that a mission designed to last one year is still working six years later. These detailed data show that the panels are radiation resistant and that their thin-film structures have not degraded in the harsh heat and vacuum conditions of space. This ultra-low mass solar cell technology can deploy large-scale, low-cost solar power stations in space to bring clean energy back to Earth - and now we have the first evidence of the technology operating reliably in orbit."
Researchers at Swansea University's Solar Energy Research Center have developed a new type of cadmium telluride solar cell. Such panels cover a larger area, are lighter, provide far more power than existing technologies, and are relatively cheap to manufacture.
Scientists at the University of Surrey designed instruments to measure its performance in orbit. The satellite itself was designed and built by the Surrey Space Center in collaboration with a team of trainee engineers from the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL).
While the batteries' power output has become less efficient over time, the researchers believe their results prove that solar-powered satellites are feasible and commercially viable.
Dr Dan Lamb from Swansea University said: "Successful flight testing of this new thin-film solar cell payload provides funding opportunities for further development of this technology. Large-area solar arrays for space applications are a rapidly expanding market and demonstrations like this help to cement the UK's world-class reputation in space technology."
Reference: "IAC-22-C3.3.8 results from six years of space flight from the AlSat-1N thin film solar cell (TFSC) experiment"
By Craig Underwood, Dan Lamb, Stuart Irvine, Simran Mardhani and Abdelmadjid Lassakeur, August 26, 2023, ActaAstronautica.
DOI:10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.08.034
Compiled from ScitechDaily