Beaming solar energy to Earth from space

四川 石光容

想象一下，即使是在夜晚，我们也能一直利用太阳能。这也许即将成为现实。

Imagine being able to use energy from the sun all the time, even when it's night.That's the idea that scientists at Caltech are exploring.They're working on collecting sunlight in space and sending its energy to Earth.

On Earth, sunlight can be blocked by clouds.And of course, at night, there is no sunlight.But in space, the sun shines all the time.As a result, there's far more solar power in space than there is on Earth.The problem is figuring out a way to use it.

Caltech's scientists have created a special tool for this project.They call it MAPLE.MAPLE and two other devices are part of a project that was sent into space in January, 2023.MAPLE's job is to test the idea of sending energy wirelessly from space to Earth.We're used to using wires to move electrical energy from one place to another.But sending energy without wires is a lot trickier.

Using this system, the scientists can send the power to exactly where they want it, either in space or on Earth.At least that was the idea.“This is a first!”says Dr Ali Hajimiri,one of the project's leaders.

To prove that the system could work,MAPLE sent energy to two devices just a foot (30 centimeters) away in space.This energy was then turned into electricity,which made two small lights light up.Next,MAPLE beamed energy all the way down to a lab at Caltech.The scientists were able to detect the energy, proving that it's possible to send solar energy to Earth from space.The experiment also showed that MAPLE worked well, even in the tough conditions of space, where temperatures can change greatly.

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What's the function of MAPLE?

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