Solar power’s next frontier: innovations from earth to space

In 1990, in an episode of The Simpsons, the family are sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner. Homer gives thanks to nuclear power: ‘the cleanest, safest energy source there is’. He then adds, ‘except for solar - which is just a pipe dream.’ Despite the irony in the statement, over 30 years later it’s safe to say solar is very much not just a pipe dream. In the US alone, solar capacity has increased by 51% from 2022 to 2023. 32.4 GW of new capacity was installed in 2023. New materials such as perovskite cells are driving record efficiencies, and investment is flowing into the sector thanks to incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act. Carolyn and Laura explore the role of solar in the Clean Energy Revolution, looking at the technology and policy that’s driving growth. Becca Jones-Albertus, head of the Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office, speaks with Carolyn about the ongoing advancements in solar in the US. Costs are down and efficiency is up. The potential is there for solar to boost its contribution to US energy generation from 6% to over 40%. Meanwhile, Laura looks beyond the limits of land-based solar power as she chats to Sam Adlen, CEO of UK-based firm Space Spolar. As the name suggests, they’re developing solutions to space-based solar power; a UK government grant is funding their research into the possibilities for harnessing solar energy in space and sending it back to earth. How realistic is it? Plus, the latest technologies in solar are explored with Jonathan Gifford, Editor at Large at pv magazine. He tells Laura about ‘floatovoltaics’, solar panels installed on lakes and reservoirs. Where land is scare, they’re an innovative solution. The water helps regulate the temperature of the cells, which naturally lose efficiency the more they heat up. Combining floating solar with hydroelectric dams is another innovation: these hybrid systems produce more electricity and can even store the potential energy in the form of water. The potential for solar power goes beyond panels on roofs, and certainly beyond just a pipe dream.