Ali Hajimiri: ‘We’ve Made Significant Amount of Progress’ on Space-Based Solar Power that Could Save the World

Walker Could space based ░░░░░░░░ power be the solution ░░░░░░░░ the world s energy ░░░░░░░░ Well the basis of ░░░░░░░░ idea is to install ░░░░░░░░ panels in space and ░░░░░░░░ beam the energy back ░░░░░░░░ Earth It may sound ░░░░░░░░ something out of a ░░░░░░░░ Trek movie but a ░░░░░░░░ of researchers say it ░░░░░░░░ feasible Earlier this year ░░░░░░░░ even launched a tiny ░░░░░░░░ into space to do ░░░░░░░░ dry run on the ░░░░░░░░ I want to bring ░░░░░░░░ Ali Hajimiri he s ░░░░░░░░ professor of electrical engineering ░░░░░░░░ Cal Tech and co ░░░░░░░░ of the space based ░░░░░░░░ Power Project Professor a ░░░░░░░░ to have you on ░░░░░░░░ stuff I know you ░░░░░░░░ a lot of the ░░░░░░░░ questions over and over ░░░░░░░░ what would make the ░░░░░░░░ based solar power different ░░░░░░░░ what we get here ░░░░░░░░ Earth HAJIMIRI Yeah Hi ░░░░░░░░ Yeah I guess at ░░░░░░░░ point in time there ░░░░░░░░ not a major question ░░░░░░░░ the fact that we ░░░░░░░░ to move to more ░░░░░░░░ sustainable energy The question ░░░░░░░░ what types would be ░░░░░░░░ best and what are ░░░░░░░░ best ways to achieve ░░░░░░░░ The major challenge right ░░░░░░░░ with some of the ░░░░░░░░ ways of achieving renewable ░░░░░░░░ such as solar energy ░░░░░░░░ Earth is that we ░░░░░░░░ t have access to ░░░░░░░░ during the night for ░░░░░░░░ and therefore we need ░░░░░░░░ sort of storage And ░░░░░░░░ idea here is that ░░░░░░░░ you put those solar ░░░░░░░░ in space in a ░░░░░░░░ enough orbit you practically ░░░░░░░░ 24 7 access to ░░░░░░░░ energy And what that ░░░░░░░░ you do is it ░░░░░░░░ this energy and transfer ░░░░░░░░ with microwave energy to ░░░░░░░░ and you will have ░░░░░░░░ sustained energy unlike the ░░░░░░░░ type of energy that ░░░░░░░░ have right now on ░░░░░░░░ And as a result ░░░░░░░░ you ll get eight ░░░░░░░░ more energy available to ░░░░░░░░ because of this 24 ░░░░░░░░ availability Walker Got it ░░░░░░░░ the solar panels don ░░░░░░░░ have the 24 7 ░░░░░░░░ because of weather and ░░░░░░░░ covering what have you ░░░░░░░░ Tell me more about ░░░░░░░░ prototype That s fascinating ░░░░░░░░ sent it up earlier ░░░░░░░░ year What did you ░░░░░░░░ from that How did ░░░░░░░░ test go HAJIMIRI Right ░░░░░░░░ the idea here is ░░░░░░░░ you know this idea ░░░░░░░░ space solar energy has ░░░░░░░░ around for a while ░░░░░░░░ the original ways that ░░░░░░░░ was talked about came ░░░░░░░░ of science fiction essentially ░░░░░░░░ in a bulky complex ░░░░░░░░ rigid structure where there ░░░░░░░░ all of these solar ░░░░░░░░ that aggregated the power ░░░░░░░░ a central way and ░░░░░░░░ transferred to some sort ░░░░░░░░ parabolic fissure and send ░░░░░░░░ to Earth in a ░░░░░░░░ point Over the last ░░░░░░░░ 15 years that new ░░░░░░░░ became available that allowed ░░░░░░░░ to do this in ░░░░░░░░ very different way I ░░░░░░░░ the original way I ░░░░░░░░ describe it as the ░░░░░░░░ elephant and we are ░░░░░░░░ moving to the army ░░░░░░░░ ants where you have ░░░░░░░░ hundreds of billions of ░░░░░░░░ transmitters working in synchronization ░░░░░░░░ to make that idea ░░░░░░░░ and economical it needs ░░░░░░░░ be lightweight and flexible ░░░░░░░░ we created this structures ░░░░░░░░ are flexible and lightweight ░░░░░░░░ can transmit the energy ░░░░░░░░ what our demonstration was ░░░░░░░░ use these and transmit ░░░░░░░░ in space and we ░░░░░░░░ that as a first ░░░░░░░░ demonstration of energy transfer ░░░░░░░░ space We transferred energy ░░░░░░░░ these flexible lightweight structures ░░░░░░░░ our receivers in space ░░░░░░░░ then we additionally tried ░░░░░░░░ also transmit something that ░░░░░░░░ it to Earth and ░░░░░░░░ that showed the feasibility ░░░░░░░░ using these lightweight flexible ░░░░░░░░ in space Walker Are ░░░░░░░░ confident professor that at ░░░░░░░░ point this will work ░░░░░░░░ a larger scale and ░░░░░░░░ will be reliant on ░░░░░░░░ space based solar panels ░░░░░░░░ Well it is definitely ░░░░░░░░ worth trying and we ░░░░░░░░ been working hard and ░░░░░░░░ made significant amount of ░░░░░░░░ so far The again ░░░░░░░░ have gone from this ░░░░░░░░ completely science fiction to ░░░░░░░░ point that we have ░░░░░░░░ structures that we operate ░░░░░░░░ space and work It ░░░░░░░░ not to say that ░░░░░░░░ are no additional steps ░░░░░░░░ challenges left because we ░░░░░░░░ talking about the very ░░░░░░░░ structure in space that ░░░░░░░░ never been built before ░░░░░░░░ the technological advances that ░░░░░░░░ been made makes it ░░░░░░░░ to see a pathway ░░░░░░░░ Now there was no ░░░░░░░░ pathway in my opinion ░░░░░░░░ or 15 years ago ░░░░░░░░ So you say some ░░░░░░░░ the questions that you ░░░░░░░░ pretty often are Are ░░░░░░░░ building a Death Star ░░░░░░░░ you fry birds in ░░░░░░░░ sky I mean I ░░░░░░░░ that s pretty valid ░░░░░░░░ because I guess people ░░░░░░░░ concerned about this being ░░░░░░░░ this technology being safe ░░░░░░░░ do you say to ░░░░░░░░ HAJIMIRI Absolutely No I ░░░░░░░░ that s one of ░░░░░░░░ major aspects of this ░░░░░░░░ that we re doing ░░░░░░░░ make sure that we ░░░░░░░░ by design and by ░░░░░░░░ laws of physics would ░░░░░░░░ that the system that ░░░░░░░░ build would not have ░░░░░░░░ energy density that would ░░░░░░░░ larger than what you ░░░░░░░░ from standing in the ░░░░░░░░ and as a result ░░░░░░░░ will not get more ░░░░░░░░ from standing in the ░░░░░░░░ even if someone were ░░░░░░░░ stand in the middle ░░░░░░░░ the transfer and beam ░░░░░░░░ the energy transfer So ░░░░░░░░ would guarantee that there ░░░░░░░░ not be any aspect ░░░░░░░░ harmful aspects of this ░░░░░░░░ with it but the ░░░░░░░░ of doing it this ░░░░░░░░ is that you can ░░░░░░░░ now send the energy ░░░░░░░░ demand to different locations ░░░░░░░░ split it up without ░░░░░░░░ to exceed that intensity ░░░░░░░░ that would be that ░░░░░░░░ the sun and even ░░░░░░░░ than that of the ░░░░░░░░ Walker Fascinating So glad ░░░░░░░░ our world has brains ░░░░░░░░ you doing innovative things ░░░░░░░░ trying to change the ░░░░░░░░ Ali Hajimiri thank you ░░░░░░░░ much for your time ░░░░░░░░ happy New Year to ░░░░░░░░