Space photovoltaic power generation method and system

• US 20020029797A1
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Mikami, Izumi, Konishi, Yoshihiko, Takada, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,528,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/244
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/1085 Swarms and constellations
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/242 Orbits and trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/428 Power distribution and management
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/4282 for transmitting power to earth or other spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/443 Photovoltaic cell arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/292 Space - satellite

Abstract

A space photovoltaic power generation system comprises a plurality of power satellites (1) arranged in space, each of which converts electrical energy, into which sunlight has been photoelectric-converted, into a microwave, and transmits the microwave to an electric power base (4). The space photovoltaic power generation system divides the plurality of power satellites (1) into a number of power satellite groups and adjusts the amount of phase adjustment to be made to a microwave which each of the plurality of power satellites included in each power satellite group will transmit so that a plurality of microwaves from the plurality of power satellites included in each power satellite group are in phase with one another. The beamwidth of the plurality of microwaves can be reduced without increasing the area of the aperture of a transmission antenna of each of the plurality of power satellites. If the plurality of microwaves transmitted from the plurality of power satellites (1) included in each power satellite group interfere with microwaves transmitted from any other power satellite group, the beamwidth is reduced. To avoid the reduction in the beamwidth, each of the plurality of power satellites (1) included in each power satellite group modulates the phase-adjusted microwave so as to generate an incoherent microwave so that the microwave does not interfere with other microwaves transmitted from any other power satellite group.

Claims

1. A space photovoltaic power generation method of generating electrical energy from sunlight and converting the generated electrical energy into microwaves by means of a plurality of power satellites arranged in space, transmitting the microwaves to an electric power base, and generating electric power by means of said electric power base, said method comprising the steps of:

dividing said plurality of power satellites into a plurality of groups each for including a number of power satellites;

adjusting a plurality of microwaves transmitted from the plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups so that the plurality of microwaves are in phase with one another; and

making a plurality of microwaves to be transmitted from each of said plurality of power satellite groups incoherent so that the plurality of microwaves do not interfere with other microwaves transmitted from any other one of said plurality of power satellite groups, and transmitting the plurality of incoherent microwaves to said electric power base.

2. A space photovoltaic power generation system comprising:

a plurality of power satellite groups each for including a number of power satellites each for generating electrical energy from sunlight in space, generating a microwave from the generated electrical energy, making the generated microwave incoherent so that the microwave does not interfere with other microwaves transmitted from any other one of said plurality of power satellite groups, and transmitting the incoherent microwave;

a control means for controlling said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups so that a plurality of microwaves transmitted from said plurality of power satellites are in phase with one another; and

an electric power base located at a remote site for receiving the plurality of microwaves transmitted from said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups, and for generating electric power from the plurality of microwaves received.

3. The space photovoltaic power generation system according to claim 2, wherein said control means includes a location measurement means for measuring a location of each of said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups, a phase adjustment amount calculation means for calculating an amount of phase adjustment to be made to the microwave which each of said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups will transmit from the measured location, and a phase control means for adjusting a phase of the microwave which each of said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups will transmit according to the amount of phase adjustment calculated by said phase adjustment amount calculation means so that the plurality of microwaves transmitted from said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite groups are in phase with one another.

4. The space photovoltaic power generation system according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of control satellites that serve as said control means, said plurality of control satellites being associated with said plurality of power satellite groups, respectively.

5. The space photovoltaic power generation system according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of control satellites associated with said plurality of power satellite groups, respectively, each of said plurality of control satellites including said location measurement means, and a transmission means for informing each of said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite group of data on the location of each of said plurality of power satellites measured by said location measurement means, wherein each of said plurality of power satellites included in each of said plurality of power satellite group includes said phase adjustment amount calculation means and said phase control means, and adjusts the phase of the microwave which each of said plurality of power satellites will transmit so that the microwave is in phase with any other microwave transmitted from any other one of said plurality of power satellites according to the calculated amount of phase adjustment.