TROY, MI – In space, the sun is always shining. So why not put a solar farm up there?
One Michigan startup is already on its way, aiming to take an idea featured in Isaac Asimov’s science fiction 80 years ago and turn it into reality.
From its base of operations in Metro Detroit, Virtus Solis Technologies is preparing to one day launch millions of modular solar cells into space and stitch them into sprawling arrays, like Legos in orbit.
The satellites would then beam energy wirelessly back down to earth to receiving stations positioned to light up a factory or hook into the grid.
“Basically, all the underlying technology for space solar has been around since the first telecom satellites in the early ‘70s,” said Virtus Solis CEO and co-founder John Bucknell.
If his company can become the first to deliver on commercial space-based solar power, it could also unlock a tantalizing leap forward in the world’s response to the climate…
