Sci-Fi fans and futurists have long envisioned a mechanism that would capture solar power from space, focus it and transmit it to earth as a way of providing more efficient energy for humanity. There are many theoretical potential benefits of this if it can be made to work, including less pollution and no fear that the source of power will ever run out. With the right architecture, space based energy transmitted like this could also make access to energy available with little or no infrastructure. Just set up a device in your yard and there is your power.

How might this work? The video here from Dr. Ali Hajimiri, Caltech Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering and Co-Director of the Space-Based Solar Power Project, explains how:

Thanks to the vision and hard work and engineering of this Caltech team part of this vision has now been successfully demonstrated.

Caltech announced on 1 June that:

A space solar power prototype that was launched into orbit in January is operational and has demonstrated its ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and to beam detectable power to Earth for the first time.

Wireless power transfer was demonstrated by MAPLE, one of three key technologies being tested by the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD-1), the first space-borne prototype from Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project (SSPP). SSPP aims to harvest solar power in space and transmit it to the Earth’s surface.

What does this mean for business decision-makers today? Consider the long range impact of continued progress here. Clearly this needs to be watched, as does other dramatic improvements in energy production like newly NRC approved small modular nuclear reactors. OODA will continue to track developments in energy and highlight those we see as impactful to both long range and short range decision-making.

Join other OODAloop.com readers in discussion on this and other topics critical to building our collective future in our monthly member meetings and our member only signal group. For more including some of who you will encounter in our discussions see: OODA Membership.

To keep this news in context it should be considered in light of the many other technological developments we are following as part of our focus on an abundance agenda. Dive deep into the tech enabling a future of abundance at the OODA Disruptive Technology Sensemaking Page.