Japan and JAXA, the country’s space administration, have spent decades trying to make it possible to beam solar energy from space. In 2015, the nation made a breakthrough when JAXA scientists successfully beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power an electric kettle, more than 50 meters to a wireless receiver. Now, Japan is poised to bring the technology one step closer to reality.Nikkei reports a Japanese public-private partnership will attempt to beam solar energy from space as early as 2025. The project, led by Naoki Shinohara, a Kyoto University professor who has been working on space-based solar energy since 2009, will attempt to deploy a series of small satellites in orbit. Those will then try to beam the solar energy the arrays collect to ground-based receiving stations hundreds of miles away.Using orbital solar panels and microwaves to send energy to Earth was first proposed in 1968. Since then, a few countries, including China and the US, have spent time and money pursuing the idea. The technology is appealing because orbital solar arrays represent a potentially unlimited renewable energy supply. In space, solar panels can collect energy no matter the time of day, and by using microwaves to beam the power they produce, clouds aren’t a concern either. However, even if Japan successfully deploys a set of orbital solar arrays, the tech would still be closer to science fiction than fact. That’s because producing an array that can generate 1 gigawatt of... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-05-28 21:43:38 UTC ]
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced the winners of this year’s Nebula Awards. It’s the 60th ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-06-09 15:00:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Efforts raise questions about the far right’s place in the broader culture wars waged by the Trump administration The far right US publisher Passage Press is now part of Foundation Publishing Group and it is connected via a Foundation director, Daniel Lisi, to Network Press, whose only title to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-06-03 10:00:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this
These six creepy science fiction recommendations are perfect for when you're in the mood to be deeply unsettled. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-05-21 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The science fiction legend’s dystopian masterwork has been adapted into a timely graphic novel by Damian Duffy and John Jennings. A nine-page excerpt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
AI is changing how we work, live, and create, and marketers are defaulting to the familiar visual codes of science fiction to capture it. Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2025-05-13 06:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
These elements of ‘Star Wars’ stories might seem like science fiction but are actually real. Just 48 short years ago, movie director George Lucas used the phrase “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” as the opening to the first Star Wars movie, later labeled Episode IV: A New Hope. But at... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-05-04 08:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Now we’re seeing cozy science fiction and fantasy, and even cozy horror. So what exactly does "cozy" mean? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-30 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Sam Weller on Ray Bradbury’s underappreciated classic: “The Martian Chronicles is a serious book about serious human themes. It is science fiction as a reflection of modernity.” | Lit Hub Criticism Milo Todd on tracing and preserving trans history while writing historical fiction. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-28 10:30:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A new take on Lady Macbeth, anonymous fantasies, a science fiction thriller on a space ship, and more of today's best book deals Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-07 15:37:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Elon Musk said he borrowed the name from a 1960s science fiction novel, but another AI startup applied to trademark it before xAI launched its chatbot. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2025-03-31 09:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Here are the finalists for this year's Nebula Awards, honoring the best in science fiction and fantasy. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-03-13 14:16:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
J.D. Beresford’s The Hampdenshire Wonder is generally considered to be the first fictional treatment of superhuman intelligence, or “superintelligence.” This is a familiar trope for readers of science fiction today, but when the novel was originally published in 1911 it was anything but. What... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-06 09:59:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this
My friend and former work colleague Simon Welfare, who has died aged 78, was a writer and pioneering TV producer whose programmes aimed to make science accessible to all.Together with the science fiction author Arthur C Clarke and a fellow producer, John Fairley, in 1980 he cooked up the format... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-24 11:07:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Science fiction has been obsessed with perfect female robot companions but never considered what makes a good male human companion, till now. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2025-02-05 17:21:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The subgenre helped increase the market share by 41.3% last year aided by bestseller Fourth Wing from Rebecca Yarros while food and drink topped nonfiction salesSales of science fiction and fantasy books rocketed last year, with their value increasing by 41.3% between 2023 and 2024.The booming... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-03 17:00:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Mysterious tarot + a missing person, an action-packed science fiction thriller, an ancient guide to modern life, and more of today's best book deals Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-01-21 16:18:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this