Hot. Radiant. Bright. Our closest star is various things, but the best part is that it’s only 93 million miles away. If you went closer, the stars would be smoking in the heat of 9,940 degrees. So, how are scientists supposed to investigate ways to develop solar energy? According to Hannah Devlin’s reports for The Guardian, The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has the answer: a substantial artificial sun. They just turned on this considerable device earlier in the week.
The artificial star isn’t as strong as the one we’re orbiting, which is good. It can still deliver an impressive impact in terms of the production of light and heat. On its site, it claims that the DLR boasts that it generates 110,000 times as much light surface radiation that is detected on Earth’s surface. It also heats the planet to 5,432degF–all thanks to an array of 149 huge spotlights. The correct name is Sunlight, and it costs an astounding $3.8 million to construct, according to Laura Mallonee from Wired.
The idea of replicating the star we orbit sounds enjoyable, but it’s serious business. In the process of being built will be solar power plants that use the sun’s radiation to convert steam into water, which creates electricity. Researchers have searched for ways to develop solar-powered synthetic products that harness the sun’s heat to transform chemical compounds into green energy sources. At present, clean-burning hydrogen is the most appealing candidate; however, it’s almost only possible to convert it into fuel with massive energy.
This is the point where the sun enters. If scientists can harness the sun’s heat and radiation and use it to power their devices, they can utilize the sun as an unlimited battery that is free and never-ending barrage. However, Europeans have to contend with clouds, and therefore research on these fuels is usually impeded by stormy days.
Advances toward artificial photosynthesis–breaking water into oxygen and hydrogen–and solar fuel have been made. Still, as Richard Martin reports for the MIT Technology Review, it’s taking a long time. Sunlight is yet another step along the road to solar fuels and one that researchers hope to one day take carbon-releasing energies off the streets and make the power we use cheap and carbon-neutral. Solar-powered fuels have been developed before; however, as the DLR says, the processes must be accelerated and removed from the lab to benefit humanity.
With the help of a false sun that doesn’t have to worry about clouds and can operate at any moment, solar energy for everyone is likely to become a reality quicker. Researchers have high hopes for a future in which they utilize an inaccessible star to power human activities. With the aid of Sunlight and similar devices, that could make that dream a reality.