Meanwhile,support for nuclear energyhas created dividing lines amongst member states.
Enter space-based solar power.
Unlike conventional solar panels, they dont require large areas of land on Earth.
This means they could be built large enough to produce more energy than nuclear power plants.
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Imagine being able to beam solar energy directly to any location across the world via ground-based beam capture sites.
The tech could also spark new opportunities for Europes spacetech scene.
These companies are all poised to capitalise on stronger support for SBSP.
However, the concept could come with a hefty price tag.
Is SBSP worth the price tag for Europes investors?
In 2022, the ESA commissioned two independent feasibility studies into SBSP by consultanciesFrazer-NashandRoland Berger.
Vijendran puts this into context.
And then something like 10bn per gigawatt scale satellite that can provide a huge amount of energy 24/7.
A nuclear power station, for example, costs anywhere between 15bn to 25bn.
However, not everyone is optimistic about the costs.
That will have a significant chilling influence, particularly in Europe, the UK, and the US.
Low-cost, high-cadence, heavy-lift launchers are… necessary to enable SBSP, the study reads.
But would the environmental costs associated with increased rocket launches dash the EUs hopes for a greener future?
The question is, what happens when this technology is scaled up in the future?
And one of the biggest draws for investors is the potential for commercialisation.
Would the environmental costs of building these complexes outweigh the gains?
This is a question more and more scientists are asking as the new space race heats up.
We never really appreciate our ability to affect the environment.
And we do this time and time again.
Vijendran acknowledges that this dilemma will grow as SBSP scales.
One satellite would turn into thousands of power stations in orbit providing a lot of power for the world.
One option is a literal moonshot: moving production and launch from the Earth to the Moon.
To investigate this idea, the ESA recently partnered with startup Astrostrom on a feasibility study.
For Vijendran, how quickly this can happen really depends on how much Europe is willing to invest.
All of the building blocks exist, we just need to scale them up.
One of the themes of this years TNW Conference is Sustainable Futures.
