Mirrors and Near-Infrared: Lighting Existing Solar Farms
Can sunlight or light beamed from orbit simply make existing solar farms produce at night?
Chapter summary
two companies think so, with different approaches.
Key takeaways
- 1
Reflect Orbital plans mirrors in low orbit that reflect sunlight onto solar farms and other sites around dawn and dusk; the FCC approved its first demonstration satellite in July 2026 over more than 1,800 mostly opposing comments, largely from astronomers.
- 2
Overview Energy plans geostationary satellites that convert sunlight to near-infrared light and beam it at below-sunlight intensity onto existing solar farms, the basis of its agreement with Meta.
- 3
Both avoid building new receivers, the largest ground cost of microwave systems.
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Laser Receivers: Photovoltaics Tuned to Light
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