Imagine if we could use the same trick plants use to catch sunlight and turn it into a powerful, concentrated laser beam. Instead of bulky panels, this technology uses tiny biological 'antennas' from bacteria to harvest light with incredible efficiency. This beam can then carry energy across vast distances, like sending power from a space station to a moon base.
Space missions lack self-sustaining ways to collect and distribute solar energy. Current systems are either too bulky or inefficient for long-distance power transmission in deep space.
A bio-inspired sunlight-pumped laser using supramolecular gain media. This includes optimized photosynthetic bacteria extraction and artificial nanotube embedding with PolyDopamine.
If you are a satellite operator dealing with the lack of reliable energy sources in deep space — this project developed a sunlight-pumped laser that converts natural light into coherent beams. This allows for wireless power transfer and long-distance energy distribution to orbiting assets.
If you are an energy developer dealing with the inefficiency of diffuse sunlight collection — this project developed a bio-inspired gain medium that increases efficiency by at least two orders of magnitude over existing designs. This could lead to more sustainable photonic energy solutions for terrestrial use.
If you are a base contractor dealing with the high cost of transporting fuel to other planets — this project developed a system that can be fabricated in situ using bacterial growth in microgravity. This enables self-sustaining energy production, such as hydrogen generation, on permanent space stations.
Based on available project data, there is no specific information regarding the cost or price of the technology.
The project aims for scalability similar to photovoltaic panels and explores in situ fabrication on space stations via bacterial growth.
Based on available project data, specific details on IP and licensing are not provided.
The technology is designed to be placed in an optical cavity to build a laser that can transmit power via infrared beams to satellites or Earth.
The project period runs from 2024-10-01 to 2028-09-30, suggesting the technology is currently in the development and testing phase.
The consortium is purely academic and research-driven, consisting of 10 partners from 4 countries (DE, IT, PL, UK). With 5 universities and 5 research organizations, and 0% industry participation, the project is currently focused on fundamental scientific breakthroughs rather than immediate commercial productization.
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