Solar panels in space could cut Europe’s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050. (The Guardian)
King’s College London researchers modeled NASA’s heliostat-style system and found it could cut overall power costs by 15% and shrink battery storage needs two-thirds by delivering steady, GW-scale supply above the clouds.
Big caveat: Sky-high launch costs, orbital congestion, and reliability questions abound, and real deployment isn’t realistic until mid-century. Still, Japan is already pursuing the tech, and Europe’s history of joint space projects could give it a shot at turning sci-fi into baseload reality.