International scientists, including a team from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, has announced plans to develop a revolutionary new way of harvesting solar energy in space.
The team aim to realise a new technology that directly converts sunlight into laser beams, facilitating the transmission of power over vast distances such as between satellites, from satellites to lunar bases, or even back to Earth. Their approach is inspired by the way bacteria and other plants and organisms convert light energy into chemical energy – a process known as photosynthesis. Repurposing natural photosynthetic structures from nature will form a key component in the new laser technology.’
If successful, their innovative technology could help global space agencies to power future endeavours like lunar bases or missions to Mars, as well as open new pathways for terrestrial wireless power transmission and sustainable energy solutions globally.
The €4 million APACE project is jointly funded by the European Innovation Council and Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. It brings together researchers from the UK, Italy, Germany and Poland to create the new type of solar-powered lasers which will provide reliable, efficient power for the growing number of satellites and future space missions.
The system will repurpose light harvesting antennas of certain photosynthetic bacteria, which are highly efficient at absorbing ambient solar light and channelling its energy to a desired target location as part of their photosynthetic cycle.
The team aim to realise their idea under laboratory conditions first, before testing and refining its suitability for deployment into the space environment.
The research team will begin by extracting and studying the natural light-harvesting machinery from specific types of bacteria that have evolved to survive in extremely low light conditions. These bacteria have specialised molecular antenna structures that can capture and channel almost every photon of light they receive – making them nature’s most efficient solar collectors.
In parallel, the team will develop artificial versions of these structures and new laser materials that can work with both natural and artificial light-harvesters. These components will then be combined into a new type of laser material and tested in increasingly larger systems.
Unlike conventional semiconductor solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity their bio-inspired system builds on sustainable organic platform with potential for replication in space. It would then allow for the direct onwards distribution of power without relying on an electric intermediary.
Professor Erik Gauger from the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences at Heriot-Watt University is leading the theoretical modelling aspects of the project. He explains:
“Sustainable generation of power in space, without relying on perishable components sent from Earth represents a big challenge. Yet, living organisms are experts at being self-sufficient and harnessing self-assembly. Our project not only takes biological inspiration but goes one step beyond by piggybacking on functionality that already exists in the photosynthetic machinery of bacteria to achieve a breakthrough in space power.
“Our APACE project aims to create a new type of laser powered by sunlight. Regular sunlight is usually too weak to power a laser directly, but these special bacteria are incredibly efficient at collecting and channelling sunlight through their intricately designed light harvesting structures, which can effectively amplify the energy flux from sunlight to the reaction centre by several orders of magnitude. Our project will make use of this level of amplification to convert sunlight into a laser beam without relying on electrical components.
“We already know it is possible to grow bacteria in space, for example through studies on the International Space Station. Some tough bacteria have even survived exposure to open space! If our new technology can be built and used on space stations, it could help to generate power locally and even offer a route to sending power to satellites or back to Earth using infrared laser beams.
“This technology has the potential to revolutionise how we power space operations, making exploration more sustainable while also advancing clean energy technology here on Earth. All major space agencies have lunar or Mars missions in their plans and we hope to help power them.”
The research team expects to have its first prototype ready for testing within three years.
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