UK Government Grants $4 Million For Space Photovoltaic Project
Jul 25, 2022
According to foreign media reports, the British government has announced that it will provide £3 million (about $4 million) in funding for the country's space photovoltaic project, which aims to use photovoltaic systems orbiting the Earth to generate electricity.
The UK government aims to enhance energy security, reduce the country's carbon emissions and enhance the UK's reputation as a major scientific power by providing a reliable and affordable renewable energy alternative to expensive and unstable fossil fuels.
Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Minister for Business and Energy, said the space PV projects would provide clean energy power around the clock and would be unaffected by weather changes.
The UK government has partnered with data and analysis agency Spire and the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council RAL Space, and has developed a sensor called the Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder in Oxfordshire. Its cutting-edge weather monitoring hyperspectral microwave detector sensor will help weather agencies and departments involved in planning, transport and flood warning around the world.
The UK government claims that this is the first time a weather monitoring sensor has been used in outer space.
Kwarteng said: "Space photovoltaic projects can provide affordable, clean and reliable renewable energy to help move people away from expensive fossil fuels. These PV projects are an important part of our national space strategy, boosting the UK's ability to exploit space while promoting economic development and providing highly skilled jobs."
Earlier this year, scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) used gallium arsenide in a quantum well. They invented a multi-junction (III-V) photovoltaic cell with a record power generation efficiency of 39.5%. And these III-V cells have the highest efficiency in the photovoltaic universe, making them the dominant power generation technology for satellites and spacecraft, just like NASA's Trail and Curiosity missions to Mars.
And researchers around the world are also looking at deploying photovoltaic systems in outer space, where a few hours of electricity collected using photovoltaic systems in space would be enough to meet the world's energy needs for several days
