Space-based solar power: A new frontier in US energy securityby David Steitz and Sowmya Venkatesh
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| “China will be producing this in less than 20 years, and we’ll be buying from them,” warned Garretson. |
Experts predict that modernizing and improving the resilience of the power grid by 2050 requires a $21.4 trillion investment, with $17.3 trillion needed to meet new energy demands. “Energy represents roughly 10–11% of global GDP, making this a multi-trillion-dollar market opportunity,” noted Peter Garretson, an SBSP expert and fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. Garretson and space energy experts also warned that the United States risks falling behind China in the race to harvest solar power from space: “Whoever leads in this technology could gain significant economic advantages in both terrestrial and space-based industries.”
“China will be producing this in less than 20 years, and we’ll be buying from them,” warned Garretson. His stark assessment came as he detailed China’s ambitious plans to build a prototype SBSP beaming system by 2030 that would dwarf the International Space Station, with a low Earth orbit test in 2028, becoming the largest human-made object in space.
The technology collects solar power in space using satellites and beams it back to Earth using microwave or infrared laser transmission. Unlike traditional solar farms, space-based systems deliver power 24/7, unaffected by weather or nighttime, potentially producing five to six times more energy than ground-based panels covering the same area.
The timing is critical for developing this technology according to Leet Wood, chief energy advisor of the Space Frontier Foundation. “The US East Coast power grid alone—serving 65 million Americans—needs the equivalent of 15 nuclear power plants’ worth of new capacity within the next decade to meet expected demand.” At the same time, coal plant retirements and extreme weather events continue to strain grid reliability.
“This isn’t just about generating power—it’s about transmission,” explained Sean Mahoney, executive director of the Space Frontier Foundation. The technology allows power to be beamed precisely where needed, potentially bypassing the decade-long process of building new transmission lines. During emergencies such as the recent Los Angeles wildfires, portable receiver stations could be quickly deployed to restore power to disaster-stricken areas, avoiding the sort of problems caused by outages during Hurricane Milton, as well as the storms in Texas that caused blackouts in 2021.
Using technology like wi-fi, the team showed how the non-ionizing radiation used for space power beaming is safe for humans and wildlife, echoing the findings of studies on the effects of radio frequencies on humans: there are no health risks associated with low-level power beaming from space.
| Unlike China’s coordinated national program, SBSP in the US falls between multiple federal agencies’ jurisdictions, with no clear lead. |
The demonstration performed is like a demonstration by Virtus Solis, an American SBSP firm, performed in 2023 at the CogX Festival in London. The SBSP receiving stations, described as “basically a bunch of chicken wire,” would be 85% transparent to sunlight, allowing the land underneath to be used for agriculture—a stark contrast to traditional solar farms.
Karen Jones, a SBSP expert from The Aerospace Corporation, emphasized that the technology’s costs could become competitive with other energy sources as launch costs continue to decrease. “We’re seeing spillover benefits across the entire value chain,” she noted, pointing to advances in photovoltaics, wireless power transmission, and space manufacturing that could benefit multiple industries.
The United States faces organizational challenges in developing this technology. Unlike China’s coordinated national program, SBSP in the US falls between multiple federal agencies’ jurisdictions, with no clear lead. Meanwhile, a fledgling commercial group of startups also are seeking to advance the technology before China starts selling space energy.
The Air Force Research Laboratory has already successfully demonstrated key components of the technology, including power beaming systems that operate safely within human exposure limits. Experts have estimated that with proper support and investment, the US could deploy its first gigawatt-scale system within 10 to 15 years, with a kilowatt-scale system set to launch in early 2026. Advocates of SBSP drew parallels to SpaceX’s Starlink system, which went from concept to launching half of all active satellites in just a few years, demonstrating how quickly space technology can scale with proper backing.
The geopolitical stakes are high. As Garretson pointed out, the ability to build massive structures in space has profound implications for national security. A nation that can construct solar power satellites would demonstrate capabilities in space logistics, large-scale assembly, and power transmission that could revolutionize military operations in space.
American SBSP advocates have achieved legislative milestones in recent weeks. The Space Frontier Foundation helped introduce language in the NASA-DOE Interagency Coordination Bill (HR 1368), recently passed by the US House of Representatives, which calls for “ground- and space-based technology necessary for the transmission to the Earth’s surface of solar energy collected in space.”
Space Frontier Foundation advocates are engaged in ongoing visits to both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, helping to inform elected leaders about the tremendous potential SBSP has for America’s energy future and its continued leadership in commercial space development.
During the recent March Storm event, the Space Frontier Foundation’s annual visit to Capitol Hill, dozens of SBSP advocates have met with Congressional leaders and staff from more than 60 offices across 10 states, including members and staff of the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee to educate them about SBSP. The team has also developed draft language that is being advocated to be incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act to advance SBSP.
With American companies and foreign governments already developing early prototypes, the conversation about space-based solar power is no longer if but rather when—and, more importantly, who will lead the way.
| Congress should direct the Departments of Energy and Commerce to complete a joint 120-day technical and economic feasibility study of SBSP, with support from NASA and the Department of Defense. |
As Congress grapples with economic and energy security, grid reliability and climate change, space-based solar power offers a potential solution that addresses all three challenges: energy independence from foreign sources; reliable power delivery, even during extreme weather events that have caused over $500 billion in damages since 2020; and carbon-free baseload power generation.
The road ahead is clear: to win the space energy race and secure America’s energy independence, the new Congress should direct the Departments of Energy and Commerce to complete a joint 120-day technical and economic feasibility study of SBSP, with support from NASA and the Department of Defense. Once completed, the study will inform the government, American industry, and academia as they develop a roadmap for rapid maturation of this technology before China corners this emerging market.
Power beaming from space will benefit American energy and national security interests while addressing three critical challenges: energy independence, reliable power delivery during extreme weather, and carbon-free baseload power generation. It’s time for America to lead the way in capitalizing on and benefiting from this new space energy resource.
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