Workshop on Challenges for Space Solar Power - Dec. 14-16, 2015, Orlando, FL

Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal Number: 1543702 Principal Investigator: Seyed A Zekavat The Workshop on Challenges for Space Solar Power (SSP) will be co-located with the IEEE Conference on Wireless Systems for Space and Extreme Environments (WiSEE). The IEEE-WiSEE 2015 Conference will be held at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, from December 14-16, 2015. The overall goal of the SSP workshop is to promote SSP technology, research and education to renew interest in this area in the United States, based on recent wireless technology developments in the US and internationally. Space Solar Power (SSP) systems use solar photovoltaic systems in Earth orbit to convert sunlight to electricity, where the solar incidence is nearly 10 times greater than that at the surface of the Earth. The electricity is converted into microwaves and then beamed down to receiving stations on the surface of the Earth for conversion back into electricity for the grid. This workshop will highlight recent scientific and engineering advances in the development of SSP systems in the US and internationally, particularly in Japan, and is designed promote student participation to stimulate renewed US academic interest in this area. The workshop will be organized by Michigan Technological University with the assistance of Space Solar Power Institute. The proposed workshop will recap the current status of SSP development in the United States and internationally, and will discuss issues and opportunities needed to advance SSP systems, including government support and needed industry investment. Towards this end, invited workshop presentations from industry and academia, and subsequent panel discussions, will highlight the potential of SSP as an energy source, assess the most relevant technologies for SSP, identify the most critical technological needs for stimulating development of SSP, including the prospect of using competitions to promote SSP technology development. The SSP workshop outcomes will include peer-reviewed papers published in IEEE Xplore based on the oral or poster presentations. The workshop also aims to recruit student participants from Central Florida University, Michigan Technology University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology through travel scholarships. Students will participate in demonstrations of wireless power transfer to model race cars to illustrate SSP energy transmission principles. The workshop will set up a website to advertise the workshop and summarize its outcomes.