Space startup seeks to solve solar power's daylight problem
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Solar power has always had one pesky limitation: It needs daylight.
- But what if it didn't?
State of play: That's the question being asked by Reflect Orbital, a startup that recently raised $6.5 million led by Sequoia Capital.
The big idea: Build and deploy a low-orbit constellation of Mylar "mirrors" that would send sunlight to solar installations in places that are still 90 minutes before sunrise or 90 minutes after sunset.
- Once low-light minutes are included, this could mean an extra four hours of power generation.
Why it matters: The world needs more renewable power, particularly with the rise of data centers.
- This could help eat into that new demand without needing to build much new physical infrastructure, which consumes both money and space.
Catch up quick: If this feels a bit familiar, you might have seen a viral video that Reflect Orbital CEO Ben Nowack (ex-Zipline) posted back in March. And also that one of the responses, shortly after it was posted, came from Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire, who wrote: "Very clever insights."
- Maguire tells me that the general concept of space-based solar has been around for at least 15 years, but that it wasn't pursued because of the on-ground capital expenditures that would have been required.
- Now, however, there are so many solar stations on Earth that a company like Reflect Orbital is viable. Well, after figuring out things like how to unfold the mirrors, steering, computation, and making a solar sail to power the electronics.
- He adds that there are understandable concerns that the tech could brighten dark areas on the ground, but insists that Reflect Orbital's tech works more like a laser beam than a flash light (i.e., very little diffusion).
Deal details: Other Reflect Orbital investors include Starship Ventures, two Zipline execs (Keller Rinaudo Cliffton and Keenan Wyrobek), and Baiju Bhatt (the Robinhood co-founder who's working on a separate space-based energy project).
Zoom in: The company recently put out a "request for sunlight," and claims to have received over 10,000 inquiries. Including from some power plants.
- It's also received a lot of inbound from venture capital firms.
- The original plan was to launch a proof-of-concept via the $6.5 million, but the massive "RFS" response may lead it to accelerate both its fundraising and deployment plans.
The bottom line: The days are getting shorter. For now.
