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DIRECTED ENERGY PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

Abstract: 24-Symp-005

UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE

Lasers and Their Application in Space-Based Solar Power Systems

Recent advances in power beaming and planned demonstrations of space-based solar power collection have led the Navy to gain an interest in studying applications of Space-Based Solar Power systems. The Navy is interested in studying maritime operations and missions that can benefit from this new technology. Given the logistical shortcomings to conventional means of power in applications such as FOBs in the form of fuel supply lines or the limited range of drones that rely on traditional batteries, laser-based power beaming has the potential to greatly augment these current capabilities.
With the benefits of SBSP becoming apparent, it is important to develop a framework that can provide metrics for evaluation of these various designs. Rather than accept a single system, multiple alternative designs should be weighed against designed metrics to rank generated systems. Given that this technology is very much in its infancy, presenting a baseline cost estimation method along with analysis of alternatives will allow future designers of SBSP systems to optimize parameters to deliver the best product possible. With this information in mind, the primary stakeholder in mind for this project is the Department of Defense given the military applications (FOBs, UAVs, directed energy, drone swarms, etc.) with secondary stakeholders being the contractors that will produce the systems. In terms of needs analysis, the DOD desires produced SBSP systems that will satisfy these various applications while retaining longevity and overall affordability in design. For the various contractors, they will need explicit guidelines that describe exactly what metrics the DoD is looking for when choosing who to award the contract to for a particular system. Developing a process that incorporates both of these stakeholders is crucial in advancing the feasibility of SBSP.
This discussion aims to (1) review previous and current studies being conducted by the DOD and the Navy on designing and developing a SBSP system and (2) explore how this future capability can be leveraged for naval applications. This study will assess the expected capabilities and limitations of a future SBSP capability in terms of how it can benefit naval operations. The study will include an assessment of expected power that a future SBSP system may provide and an estimate of costs associated with the deployment of the given system.
For overall structure, this talk will develop a conceptual design that design an operational concept for the a theoretical SBSP system of systems, generate a cost estimate for this design, analyze alternative designs via given metrics, discuss potential naval applications, examine limitations and challenges to overall implementation, and finally make an overall conclusion about the current feasibility of SBSP systems.

UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE