Investigation on Received Power of Space Solar Power Systems using Large Planar Satellites in Quasi-Geostationary Earth Orbit

Abstract

This paper describes a guidance system for efficient orbits of space solar power systems (SSPSs), with a particular focus on the use of quasi-geostationary Earth orbit (QGEO). SSPSs consist of a space solar power satellite and a ground site. The satellite collects solar energy in space and converts it into electromagnetic waves, then transmits the energy to the ground site on Earth. In general, the SSPS satellite is planned to be placed in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), but this is highly challenging due to the limited space available in GEO since it is already occupied by satellites for telecommunications and Earth observation. Therefore, this paper describes the use of QGEO for SSPSs. We analyzed the received power on the ground site when the satellite is controlled in QGEO with a model of wireless power transfer and compared it with one controlled in GEO. Our findings showed that the received power under the QGEO condition with an inclination of 10 degrees and an eccentricity of 0.1, when the ground site was on the equator, was 6.8% higher than that under GEO condition. We conclude that the received power in QGEO is comparable to or higher than that in GEO.