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Blake, Wm. The First Book of Urizen, plate 23 object 7. 1796.

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A UK startup is progressing toward beaming gigawatts of clean energy to Earth from solar arrays in orbit, helping realize the ambitious concept of space-based solar power.

The startup, Space Solar, announced a “world first” breakthrough in 360-degree wireless power transmission, eliminating the need for moving parts.

Essentially, the concept uses a satellite with solar panels and mirrors to concentrate sunlight, converting it to high-frequency radio waves sent to Earth. This method offers an uninterrupted energy supply, unaffected by Earth’s atmospheric conditions.

Challenges include the project’s scale, high-power wireless transmission safety, and concerns about space debris. However, the technology has gained support from the UK government and the European Space Agency.

Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency: “Safe, wireless, 360-degree energy transmission is a game-changer, and demonstrates the UK’s leading position in this new energy revolution, quite literally harnessing the power of space to benefit life on Earth.”