Reflect Orbital aims to provide and sell sunlight in the dark of night by redirecting light with a giant mirror in space. CEO Ben Nowack presented his plan during the International Conference on Energy from Space in London this past April, and has now launched a website where people can sign up for a chance to access the reflected light at night.
As Earth’s Sun reaches its peak activity in its 11-year solar cycle, people have been privy to gorgeous auroras as far south in the US as Florida. It is that same immense power that the Sun emits on a daily basis that has been the focus of those looking to find new ways in which to harness it and turn it into energy. Space company Honeybee recently proposed placing a 100-meter tall solar tower on the surface of the moon that could provide energy anywhere, and at anytime for lunar bases. Now, Reflect Orbital wants to solve a major issue with solar energy farms here on Earth, that being the obvious lack of the sun at night.
Nowack remarked at the International Conference on Energy from Space, “The problem is that solar energy is not available when we actually want it. It would be really great if we could get some solar energy before the sun rises and after sunset, because then you could actually charge higher prices and make a lot more money.” He added, “And we think that reflector-based technologies can solve this problem.”
Reflect Orbital, a California-based startup, wants to send 57 small satellites into low-Earth orbit with 33-square-foot ultra reflective mylar mirrors that would, in theory, bounce sunlight back down to solar farms on Earth. The company made a video (see above) that uses a hot-air balloon to simulate how the technique is supposed to work. If successful, the satellites could provide an additional 30 minutes of sunlight to the solar farms during peak demand times.
There are some possible pitfalls to the idea, however. Thick clouds and stormy weather could potentially block the sunlight from reaching its destination. Seasonal changes that alter the amount of sunlight in certain areas of the world could also present challenges, and the possible environmental impacts of this light reflection have also not been discussed thus far.
The company’s orbital mirror project is scheduled to launch sometime in 2025, and interested parties can “apply for sunlight” over the next few months ahead of the launch. For those interested, there is “limited availability,” and over supposedly over 30,000 applications already, so don’t wait around to sign-up.