California Startup Atereflux tests solar energy farms

Solar energy from space to Earth with a laser looks like science fiction, and has been presented in the short story of Isaac Asimov in the 1940s.

But this is exactly what a California -based startup: Small solar farms are in the form of low -orbit satellites.

California startup Aetherflux It plans to send satellite technology to orbit on a Spacex Next year. Robinhood The co -founder Pigu Bhatt is the company’s CEO.

“We will make a constellation of satellite, as each one transmits energy with infrared laser.” “And the benefits of that, number one, you can distribute power generation through a lot of satellites, unlike a homogeneous one, but also the place you can display on the ground – the actual thing that collects strength – you can make small.”

Solar energy will be collected in space and then wears it to the bottom of the laser wirelessly on a network of small Earth power plants. The presence of many power collection stations makes the satellite system more efficient.

“You may have one satellite that displays strength on one location on Earth, and while continuing to move around the Earth, you will find another terrestrial station and start dropping the energy there,” he explained.

Aetherflux first works with the US Department of Defense, which he said is an important market because it solves a real problem in obtaining power in the battlefield, where diesel generators’ convoys become goals for the enemy.

This initial stage is attractive to investors, such as Bill Gates“Breakthrough Energy Ventures, who says that working with the government initially will help in rapidly expand the company’s scope to the broader market.

“We believe that the military agent is large enough – and for the lack of a better word, difficult enough – for the customer, if we can serve, we can build a constellation and we can be widely. At this stage, we will provide the cost of technology so that we can expand to other customers,” said Christian Garcia, the administrative partner of Breakthrough Energy.

In addition to penetration, Aetherflux is supported by Index Ventures, Andressen Horowitz and New Entertainment Associats. Total financing so far is $ 60 million.

Bhatt said that the technology is now expensive, and the challenge will be to make it competitive in cost with other energy sources. He said he believed that progress in launch technology and maturity of ingredients would be important factors.

You should lower more satellites with newer versions of technology.

Aetherflux is not the only company that explores satellite energy farms.

Among others are Cal-Tech, Virtus Solis and SACE Scolar in the UK. Early this year, China has announced a plan to build a 1 km solar power plant in space that will restore continuous energy to Earth across micro -waves.

CNBC Lisa Resolo products contributed to this article.