Facebook post referencing Solaren Space Solar – setting the record straight

January 29, 2021

MANHATTAN BEACH, January 29, 2021 – A Facebook post by a member of Congress inferred that in 2018, Solaren Corporation (“Solaren”) Solar Power Satellites collected the Sun’s energy in Earth Orbit, converted that energy to laser power and beamed it back to Earth, where it sparked California’s worst wildfire. Solaren President & CEO, Gary T. Spirnak said that, “It is important to our government and industry partners and future customers, that Solaren set the record straight.”

Overview

As Solaren has not yet launched any Solar Power Satellites into space, the Facebook post has no basis in fact.

Background

A Solaren Space Solar Power (SSP) Plant will consist of a Solar Power Satellite in Geostationary Earth Orbit and a Ground Receive Station on Earth that is connected to a utility customer’s power grid. Solaren’s experienced team has developed a patented ultra-lightweight SSP plant design that will enable safe, all-weather, 24/7, zero emission space solar electricity, and be cost competitive with all terrestrial sources of electricity.

Setting the Record Straight:

First, Solaren and utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) did have a power contract, where Solaren would provide PG&E with baseload solar electricity, 24/7 from Solaren Solar Power Satellites starting in the 2016-2018 timeframe. The power contract was dependent on Solaren acquiring the necessary financing to develop, test, build, launch and deploy the Solar Power Satellites and to build the California Ground Receive Station that would be connected to PG&E power grid. After several years of effort following the worldwide banking crisis of a decade ago, Solaren was unable, at that time, to obtain the necessary commercial financing for the power plant. In 2015, Solaren and PG&E mutually agreed to forgo the power contract.

Second, to date, Solaren does not have any Solar Power Satellites in space. Therefore, a Solaren Solar Power Satellite could not have caused any California wildfires nor the described light phenomena “as seen by witnesses in 2018” as the Facebook post infers.

Third, Solaren Space Solar Power Plants are uncompromisingly designed for safety and cost competitiveness and cannot be weaponized. Solaren uses a different technology than described in the Facebook post, as we do not transmit power via lasers. Solaren uses radio frequencies to transmit power from Earth Orbit to a Receiving Station on Earth. Radio frequencies are what cell phones, radios and satellites use to transmit their signals. Solaren Space Solar will use different frequencies so as not interfere with other applications. The Facebook post infers that lasers or blue beams of light caused the fires to erupt. As Solaren Space Solar does not use lasers for power transmissions, the described light phenomena “as seen by witnesses in 2018” nor the fires could ever have been caused by Solaren Solar Power Satellites either then or in the future.

A Promising Future

Solaren plans to complete laboratory space solar power payload testing in 2021, followed by high power range testing and space deployment testing, and culminating in the 2025 timeframe with the launch of a megawatt class SSP Prototype plant into geostationary Earth orbit using a super heavy launch vehicle with an extremely large payload volume capability. This will be the world’s first space solar power plant and will initially demonstrate safe and efficient power delivery from Earth orbit to the United States. Validation of the SSP Prototype plant will enable follow-on Solaren SSP Production plants to deliver large, utility-scale, zero emission, baseload electricity to customers throughout the world.

About Solaren

Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, Solaren is an energy and aerospace company that is principally engaged in the research, design, development, integration and operations of Space Solar Power plants, and the sale of clean, baseload, space solar electricity.

Source: Solaren Corporation

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