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- 2008 Sep 17 - Beaming Energy from Space: A Small Step Towards a Very Grand Vision [Nature]
- 2008 Sep 15 - A Step Forward for Space Solar Power [The Space Review]
- 2008 Sep 12 - SolarSat Power Beaming Demo Revealed [LiveScience]
- 2008 May 14 - Where the Sun Does Shine [Air & Space Magazine]
- 2007 Dec 28 - Tiny Country Offers to Be Space Solar Power Satellite Testbed [
 ]
- 2007 Oct 10 - Space-Based Solar Power Interim Assessment is Published [Space Frontier Foundation]
- 2007 Oct 10 - New Space Solar Power Organization (SSAFE) Announced [Space Solar Alliance for Future Energy]
- 2007 Aug 13 - A Renaissance for Space Solar Power? [The Space Review]
- 2007 Jul 25 - Pentagon Looks to the Internet Community for Space Solar Power Study [SPACE.com]
- 2007 Apr 11 - Pentagon Considering Study on Space-Based Solar Power [SPACE.com]
- 2006 Jun 19 - NASA—Wrong Mission for the Right Stuff [EnergyPulse]
- 2005 Apr 11 - Reaping powerful ideas from a luminary [The Space Review]
- 2004 Sep 27 - Out of Gas—The book
Out of Gas was reviewed here.
The review contains some relevant projections. Oil production, long a topic
of dire predictions, peaks in 2020. Between now and then we need to build a
viable alternative energy source. We have to start now, because the price of
oil, now almost $50 a barrel, will begin to limit our options for
technological progress before then. One option is to coat the surface of the
planet with solar cells, at a cost of about $87 trillion. However, we can
launch enough SPS to generate the equivalent electrical power for only $25 trillion, and at the same time leave room on the surface of the planet for green.
[wronkiew]
- 2004 Aug 30 - Whatever happened to solar power satellites?—David Boswell wrote an article summarizing the current status of SPS
development called
Whatever happened
to solar power satellites? In it he argues that politics is
holding back development, and that we would see the economics change if
we took into account the environmental costs of our dependence on oil.
[wronkiew]
- 2004 Jun 22 - NASA Spaces on Energy Solution []
- 2003 Nov 20 - NASA Scientist Says Weak Microwaves Do Not Affect Plant Growth [Ames Laboratory]
- 2003 May 09 - NASA Investigates Laser-Photovoltaic System for Lunar Mission—The Marshall Space Flight Center has announced that it will be working
with Boeing to develop a wireless power transmission system to power
the South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return (SPA-SR) mission. This lunar
expedition will require laser WPT instead of
regular photovoltaic generators because it will be located in
dark,
cold lunar polar craters . The
presolicitation notice indicates that Japanese expertise with wireless
power transmission will be tapped for this project.
[wronkiew]
- 2003 Apr 08 - Researchers Hope to “Sunproof” Solar Cells [Ames Laboratory]
- 2003 Mar 23 - March Storm 2003 Asks for More SSP Funding—The ProSpace sponsored
event included in its agenda this year a request of $30 million
for NSF to fund the space solar power studies found deserving
of further study by the NASA-NSF-EPRI Joint Investigation. Also
included was a request to fund a solar power satellite
demonstrator. March Storm participants met with the offices of
members of Congress on March 10-12 to communicate the pressing
need for a space program and policy that provides real benefits
to the citizens of the United States.
[wronkiew]
- 2003 Jan 08 - Next-Generation Solar Cells Could Put Power Stations in Space [SpaceDaily]
- 2002 Nov 21 - Wireless Transmission in Earth’s Energy Future
- 2002 Nov 18 - An Unexpected Discovery Could Yield a Full Spectrum Solar Cell [Berkeley Lab]
- 2002 Oct 31 - Space-Based Power System Needed to Solve Earth’s Energy Woes [SPACE.com]
- 2002 Oct 15 - “Power Play” for the Moon Predicted [SPACE.com]
- 2002 Oct 09 - Technology Could Use Moon Dust to Capture Sun Power [SpaceDaily]
- 2002 Oct 02 - Building a Better Moonbase [SPACE.com]
- 2002 Aug 22 - Nanoparticles Used in Solar Energy Conversion [SpaceDaily]
- 2002 Jul 23 - Conference: The United States Has Unfinished Business on the Moon [SPACE.com]
- 2002 Jul 18 - ATS Announces New Solar Cell Tech—Spheral Solar Power plans
to start manufacturing solar cells based on their proprietary process.
Their process brings two improvements that could benefit applications
in space: lower cost, and lighter panels. The lower cost of
Spheral‘s panels and the lower weight will result from using less
raw materials. According to their website, their solar modules will
use 9 tons of silicon per MW, whereas silicon wafers use 18 tons. The
panels are also lighter because of the use of plastic backing instead
of glass. It is not known if the panels will withstand the environment
of space. Read their
announcement.
[wronkiew]
- 2002 Jul 03 - Better Sunbathing For Satellites [SpaceDaily]
- 2002 Jun 30 - Earth No Longer Keeping Up With Humanity—According to Redefining Progress, the use of natural resources on this
planet by humanity has accelerated, and as of the 1980s, has exceeded
the production capacity of the biosphere. One of those products is the
supply of fossil fuels that we depend on for cheap energy.
Redefining Progress advocates raising taxes on products which have a
negative impact on the biosphere. Increased prices on fossil fuels will
reduce the relative cost of alternate energy sources, such as space
solar power.
[wronkiew]
- 2002 Jun 29 - Space Market Study Identifies SSP—A
market study by Andrews Space & Technology analyzed future
markets to support new launch vehicles. Solar power satellites were
identified as the product carrying the most potential risk and an industry
requiring an established space infrastructure.
[wronkiew]
- 2002 Jun 27 - ARC Tests Microwaves on Plant Growth—Dr. Jay Skiles of the NASA Ames Research Center is running experiments on
alfalfa plants to test the effects of microwave radiation on vegetation.
Dr. Skiles is testing radiation similar in frequency and intensity to that
which might be encountered in wireless power transmission. The relatively
transparent microwave rectennas offer the possibility of agriculture and
electrical generators sharing the same land area, thus reducing the level
of human exposure. Read the
NASA press release for more information.
[wronkiew]
- 2002 Jun 14 - California 2002 Budget Cuts—The California
Space Industry Development Program lost its 2002–2003 funding in the
state budget crunch. The state’s contribution to space development
is significant. From the web site, “If California were a country, it
would rank as only one of six in the world offering end-to-end space
capabilities.” At the Space Frontier Conference last year, Kevin
Greene of ProSpace spoke hopefully
about the prospects for Californian investment in an SSP pilot program.
[wronkiew]
- 2002 Apr 15 - Getting power from the moon [SpaceRef.com]
- 2002 Apr 01 - Solar Power via the Moon [The Industrial Physicist]
- 2001 Oct 29 - Japan Developing Satellite That Would Beam Back Solar Power [SPACE.com]
- 2001 Oct 17 - Bright Future for Solar Power Satellites [SPACE.com]
- 2001 Sep 05 - Scientists Work on Cheaper Solar Power [SPACE.com]
- 2001 May 02 -
Rep. Rohrabacher started the questions by asking about the status of Solar Power Satellite funding in FY 2002. NASA Comptroller Mal Peterson replied that there was no money in the FY 2002 budget but that some of the funds appropriated in the FY 2001 budget will be spent in 2002. —Goldin Before Congress: Space Station Science Cuts and “Baby Sitting” for Dennis Tito [SpaceRef.com]
- 2001 Apr 27 - MicroMachines Key To Maintaining Large Space Structures [SpaceDaily]
- 2001 Mar 23 - Beam it Down, Scotty! [
 NASA]
- 2001 Feb 28 - Experts at Congressional Roundtable Offer Space Solar Power in Answer to President’s Call for New Energy Sources [Space Frontier Foundation]
- 2001 Feb 05 - Japan Allocates Budget to Begin Solar Power Satellite Research [SPACEandTECH]
- 2001 Jan 31 - Japan Plans To Launch Solar Power Station In Space By 2040 [SpaceDaily]
- 2000 Dec 19 - Russia Sees Space-Based Power as Solution to High Energy Demand [SPACE.com]
- 2000 Sep 08 - Solar Satellites Will Power Earth, Scientists Say [SPACE.com]
- 2000 Sep 07 - Congress Gets an Update on Solar Power Satellites [SpaceRef.com]
- 2000 Jul 13 - Scientists Look to Moonbeams for Earth Energy [SPACE.com]
- 2000 May - Re-Energizer []
- 2000 Apr 21 - Space Power For An Energy-Hungry Earth? [SPACE.com]
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