A British company, hoping to launch the first solar power farm into space, has achieved a "critical milestone" with a prototype on Earth.
Space Solar, based in Oxfordshire county, plans to power over a million homes by the 2030s through an array of mirrors and solar panels spreading across a mile, orbiting 22,000 miles above Earth.
The prototype tested in Britain paves the way for "constant energy from space all the time."
According to Britain's Sky network, the prototype's design is highly efficient, making continuous use of sunlight. It requires constant orientation towards the sun, no matter its location, while continuously transmitting power to a fixed receiver on Earth.
This success was first proven at Queen's University in Belfast, where a wireless beam was successfully directed across the lab to power a light.
Martin Soltu, founder of Space Solar, told Sky: "This is a world first. We can have constant energy all the time."
He added, "This will have a significant impact on our future energy systems."
Solar panels in space capture energy 13 times more than on Earth due to higher light intensity without atmospheric or cloud interference or night-time.
Despite some energy loss by the time it is transmitted back to Earth and connected to the power grid, it significantly surpasses terrestrial solar power generation.
Until recently, the idea of building a 2,000-ton solar power station in space was considered science fiction. However, Soltu revealed that his company is in talks with
Elon Musk's SpaceX to use "Starship," the "most powerful space rocket ever built."
Approximately 68 launches would be required to transport the assembly parts, which will then be assembled into a power station in orbit by robots.
Soltu stated, "It's a complete game-changer... We will be able to do things in space that were not possible even a decade ago."