--- title: "Chinese Company Launching Solar Panels to Space, Where They’ll Beam Energy Down to Earth" description: "A leading Chinese solar power company is sending its panels to space in an effort to establish 24/7 energy harnessing to send back to Earth." date: "2022-09-20" modified: "2022-09-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-solar-panels-space" categories: - "Energy" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" tags: - "china" - "renewable energy" - "solar panels" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Company Launching Solar Panels to Space, Where They’ll Beam Energy Down to Earth ![A leading Chinese solar power company is sending its panels to space in an effort to establish 24/7 energy harnessing to send back to Earth.]() *\Image: AFRL\* ## Beam Me Down A leading Chinese solar power company says it's sending panels to orbit in an effort to establish a 24/7 operation harvesting the bright solar energy up there and beaming it back to Earth. As [*Bloomberg* reports](), the Xi'an-based Longi Green Energy Technology Company's proposal is garnering interest because of its deceptively simple value prospect — that it can harness solar power all day, and not just while the Sun is out. While Longi is far from the first to explore the possibility of space-bound solar panels — *Bloomberg* notes that CalTech got a grant to study space solar panels [back in 2013](), and that India, Japan, and Russia are all also working on similar efforts — this Chinese company appears to be the furthest along in making the tech a reality. ## Public Partnership China is also home to the first reportedly successful space solar panel transmission model, after researchers at Xidian University captured sunlight high above the ground, converted it into microwave beams, and delivered it to a reception station on the ground that turned the energy into electricity, the report notes. Along with the exciting prospect itself is the potential for private-public partnership. According to *Bloomberg*, Wu Zhijian, the president of the government-funded China Space Foundation, said that Longi's creation of a space solar panel lab could lead to renewable energy partnerships with the China National Space Association. If successful **—** a huge "if" **—** the concept could be revolutionary. **READ MORE:** [Solar panels floating in space could one day power your home]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Chinese energy claims:** [*China Announces Plan for Hybrid Fission-Fusion Power Facility*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()