Space reflectors could ensure bright future for solar power farms

Reflectors placed in orbit around the Earth which reflect sunlight towards future solar power farms at dawn and dusk could help accelerate the transition to net-zero, researchers say. Space engineers from the University of Glasgow have published new research showing how kilometre-wide orbiting reflectors could boost the output of future large-scale solar farms by reflecting additional sunlight towards them even after the sun has set. In a paper published as a preprint in the journal Acta Astronautica, the researchers describe how they used sophisticated computer simulations to help determine the most effective method of using orbiting solar reflectors to generate additional power. Their models showed that putting 20 gossamer-thin reflectors into orbit 1000 kilometres from the surface of the Earth could reflect sunlight to solar farms for an extra two hours each day on average. The additional sunlight could boost the output of the world's future solar farms, particularly after sunset when electricity demand is high. The output could be scaled up further by adding more reflectors or increasing their size. The reflectors would maintain an orbit close to the Earth's terminator line - the boundary where daylight on one side of the planet transitions into night on the other - in an arrangement known as a Walker constellation.