Japan is working on the OHISAMA project, which will transmit solar energy from space

Japan is conducting important research in the field of renewable energy, developing the OHISAMA project, which involves transmitting solar energy from space to Earth, NotebookCheck reports. The initiative, funded by the Japanese government, could change the global energy infrastructure.

The OHISAMA project was created in 2023 by Japan Space Systems and today it has great prospects. The project involves the launch of a satellite weighing 180 kg, which will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 400 km. It will be equipped with a 2 m² solar panel with a storage device, which will allow it to collect energy and transmit it to Earth in the form of electromagnetic waves. The receiving station in the Japanese city of Suva will be equipped with 13 antennas with an area of 600 m² and will be able to convert the received energy into electricity.

"This mission marks a decisive step towards space-based solar power plants that provide clean energy regardless of the earthly weather," said Koichi Ijichi, a consultant at Japan Space Systems.

The first tests involve transmitting 1 kW of energy — enough to power household appliances. The main challenge is the accuracy of the transmission: the energy must reach a receiving field 40 km wide at a speed of 28,000 km/h.

If the project is successful, large-scale geostationary systems could eventually produce up to 1 GW of energy, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes. However, initial tests must confirm the accuracy of ground-based stations’ reception and the efficiency of energy conversion.

Japan is seeking to prove the effectiveness of this technology, which could pave the way for the creation of large-scale orbital solar power plants.