California-based startup Reflect Orbital has announced an innovative plan that could significantly increase global energy consumption by providing sunlight after sunset. The company, led by CEO Ben Nowack, plans to redirect sunlight to Earth’s solar panels at night, thereby “selling sunlight on demand.” This innovative initiative was presented by Nowack during the International Conference on Energy from Space, held in London in April.
Reflect Orbital’s approach addresses one of solar energy’s biggest limitations: the inability to generate electricity after dark. The company is “developing a constellation of revolutionary satellites to sell sunlight to thousands of solar farms after dark,” Nowack explained in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). The company essentially wants to power solar farms with sunlight reflected from satellites to give them more power even after sunset.
The vision behind Reflect Orbital
Nowack’s vision is to increase global electricity production by harnessing the untapped potential of solar energy outside of daylight hours. The startup’s plan is to launch 57 small satellites into orbit, each equipped with 3.0 square meter ultra-reflective Mylar mirrors. These mirrors are designed to reflect sunlight back to Earth and specifically target solar farms during peak demand times.
According to Nowack, this technology could provide solar power plants with 30 minutes more sunlight, providing crucial support in times of high energy consumption.
The test phase and technological innovations
The team at Reflect Orbital, which includes Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Tri Semmelhack, has already tested their concept. As shown in a recent X post, they attached an 8-by-8-foot Mylar mirror to a hot air balloon that reflected sunlight onto solar panels trucked to the site. This reflected light produced an impressive output of about 500 watts of energy per square meter of panel. Mylar mirrors are unique in that they are made without glass, but instead are made of polyester film stretched over a raised aluminum frame.
The team’s field tests proved the feasibility of their concept, and they published their results in a YouTube video released in March. After weeks of fine-tuning, they had managed to reflect light from a distance of 242 meters (nearly 800 feet) from the mirror onto the solar panels.
Looking to the future: The future of solar energy
Reflect Orbital plans to launch its orbital mirror in 2025, with the goal of providing solar power on demand, even after the sun goes down. The company has already received over 30,000 applications from interested parties who want to “apply for sunlight” in the coming months. With the cost of spaceflight falling, Nowack and Semmelhack are confident that their venture will not only be feasible, but also profitable.
Reflect Orbital’s ambitious project could represent a significant shift in the use of solar energy, making it a viable option for 24/7 power generation.