ESA’s Solaris Initiative and results from recent Concept studies on Space-based Solar Power Systems

The challenge of mitigating climate change is one driven by energy. The world needs reliable, clean, and affordable energy that can be scaled into the future - while energy demands rise over the coming decades - to reach its goal of Net Zero by 2050. Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) - acquiring solar energy directly in space and transmitting it to the terrestrial energy grid to provide continuous, clean and reliable energy - has been studied internationally over a few decades, but has yet to be subjected to a major development effort even though it has the potential to be a significant contributor to the balanced portfolio of clean energy solutions that will be needed to meet the 2050 goal.