Launching solar farms in space

Renewable energies are taking an increasingly larger stake in many countries’ energy mixes. But despite rapid expansion, solar and wind are intermittent. Batteries will go a long way to solve that issue, but many experts believe we will still need “on tap” forms of energy generation to ensure that grid base load power is always met.

One radical idea for replacing fossil fuels – explored in this video – is to harness solar energy directly in space and beam it back to Earth. Find out more about the quest for space-based solar energy in this feature article by science writer Jon Cartwright.