Solar-pumped lasers are not used commercially because the low cost of electricity in most locations means that other more efficient types of lasers that run on electrical power can be more economically used. Solar pumped lasers might become useful in off-grid locations. Very fine grained dispersed powders can be produced by the use of laser synthesis technology. A leader in this field is Shigeaki Uchida and his team in Japan (Tokyo/Osaka). Their design uses.
How does a solar laser work?
The resulted laser beam is re-directed onto the earth surface, where it can be used to generate power. The intensity and the divergence of the laser are calculated in order to obtain the suitable solar laser system as a payload on the satellite that matches and the terrestrial applications.
Can solar-pumped laser be used for solar-energy conversion?
There have been proposals to use solar-pumped laser for solar-energy conversion, shown how to efficiently convert solar into electrical energy, taking advantage of laser amplification and intra-cavity use of a low-efficiency converter such as PV cells.
Click on a formula to zoom. A simulation model of a space-based solar laser system to transfer the power onto the earth is carried out. The system consists of a solar-pumped laser by a concentration system installed on a satellite. The resulted laser beam is re-directed onto the earth surface, where it can be used to generate power.
The whole point of using a solar-pumped laser is to simplify the energy-conversion process, reduce losses and ultimately get more energy out of the system. “So the efficiency must at least be in the double digits,” Landis says. “Otherwise it just becomes more efficient to use solar cells and an electrically pumped laser.”
The idea of transferring the solar energy from the space means actually collecting the solar energy in the outer space, converting it into a laser beam and sending it to the earth. The reason of using the laser beam here is to minimise the dispersion of the radiation during its transfer through the earth's atmosphere.
Can a solar-pumped laser transfer power to the Earth?
Finally, Abdel-Hadi (2018) reported a simulation model of a space-based solar-pumped laser system sensitised by a luminescent nano-crystal to transfer the power onto the earth. The system consisted of a solar-pumped laser by a concentration system set on a satellite.