How US startup plans to beam solar power from space to Earth

Virginia-based startup Overview Energy demonstrated a world-first achievement in late November by wirelessly beaming power from a moving Cessna turboprop aircraft flying at 5,000 meters over Pennsylvania to receivers on the ground. This test marked the first time power was beamed from a moving platform and validated the feasibility of their space-based solar power concept. Overview plans to launch satellites into geosynchronous orbit (about 22,000 miles above Earth) to harvest continuous solar energy and transmit it down to existing solar farms on Earth using infrared laser beams. This approach differs from previous concepts that relied on radio waves and large, costly ground stations, as Overview’s method leverages existing solar infrastructure and allows solar farms to collect energy at night, improving overall efficiency and safety. Overview’s technology demonstrated all the key functional components working together in the flight test, which CEO Marc Berte described as a direct precursor to their space-based system. The company aims to develop a prototype demonstrator in low Earth orbit by