Artist’s impression of a solar power satellite

Solar energy generation has grown far cheaper and more efficient in recent years, but no matter how much technology advances, fundamental limitations will always remain: solar panels can only generate power during the daytime, and much of the sunlight is absorbed by the atmosphere during its journey to the ground. What if instead we could collect solar power up in space and beam it down to the surface? We're seeking ideas for technologies and concepts for solar power satellites that will do precisely this.

Outside the atmosphere, sunlight is up to 11 times more intense than on European territory, and space-based solar power stations could face the Sun 24/7 to capture the maximum amount of light possible. The satellites would then beam energy down to Earth, the Moon or other planets, where a readily available energy supply will boost our ability to explore these locations.