The ultimate form of solar power is to collect sunlight in space where there is no night, no clouds, and no atmosphere. Low-density radio waves can transmit this power to earth-based receivers, invert the power, and couple it to the grid. This low-pollution power source can be scaled to the entirety of human enterprise. Until recently, economics argued against space solar power (SSP), because launch costs of the megatons of materials are prohibitive. A new approach is to use lunar materials for the bulk of SSP mass. The moon is 21% silicon, which can be formed into solar panels. Several new innovations make possible economical production of electric power from space, provided key materials challenges can be overcome. This paper reviews the ultra-high temperature ceramics and metals required for lunar-based SSP, and some of the laboratory results from experiments to build factories which, when landed on the moon, will produce many times their launch mass in valuable solar panels and array infrastructure.
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