In order to build on their leadership in the global arena and unlock next-generation growth channels, China's leading photovoltaic firms are eyeing space-based solar energy production as the industry's next technological frontier.

By expanding into this field, they hope to diversify their business, break conventional market constraints and create high-end applications for China's substantial solar production capacity.

At the opening ceremony of the 19th International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition in Shanghai on Tuesday, a consortium of 13 tier-one solar and technology enterprises officially launched the Space Energy Development Alliance.

The alliance aims to integrate resources across the entire supply chain, including solar power, energy storage, hydrogen power, computing and charging, in order to bridge the boundaries between aerospace and green energy.

Company executives and industry analysts regard this as a pivotal and strategic move for Chinese solar power manufacturers seeking to escape intense domestic competition and tap into massive incremental markets.

Zhu Gongshan, chairman of GCL Group, said, "If the first half of the photovoltaic industry's paradigm revolution is the symbiosis of watts and bits, the second half is the dance between materials and aerospace."

He described the shift as "an epic expansion of energy scenario boundaries", extending from the land and oceans to extraterrestrial orbits.

"Simultaneously arriving with the photovoltaic paradigm revolution is a cross-sectoral composite technology cluster covering power electronics, digital technology, advanced materials, aerospace engineering, communication technology, wireless power transmission and synthetic biology, far exceeding the industry's traditional technological road map," he said.

According to Zhu, gathering solar energy in the near-ideal cosmic environment enables systems to escape the effects of atmospheric filtering and the day-night cycle of the Earth, resulting in a highly efficient and constant form of closer-range photosynthesis.

"Reusable rockets continuously lower launch costs, and giant commercial constellations create large-scale demand, pushing space-based photovoltaics into the realm of engineering economics," Zhu said.

He projected that once radiation-resistant packaging passes rigorous testing, related technologies could be used for active space applications within five to 10 years.

The long-term outlook for the industry is that space-to-Earth wireless power delivery will replace conventional generation-transmission-consumption chains, eliminating the need for lengthy land grids and enabling instant power supply to remote outposts, islands and emergency sites.

Zhu noted that space will maximize the synergy between on-site energy production and real-time computing.

Prominent energy experts praised the alliance as a visionary step toward long-term industrial evolution, while also taking a pragmatic view of current market dynamics.

Lin Boqiang, head of Xiamen University's China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy, said that setting up such an alliance is a highly commendable initiative.

"While commercial operations remain on the distant horizon, pioneering this path is vital. Space-based solar power will likely be significantly more expensive than terrestrial alternatives for at least the next decade, meaning ground-based solar installations will remain our primary reliance for a long time to come," Lin said.

"However, the domestic ground-based market still holds significant growth potential, and initiating early layouts in space-based technology is a farsighted strategy worth advocating."

Tan Youru, a solar analyst at BloombergNEF, echoed this sentiment, adding that these corporate initiatives represent vital forward-looking technical developments and highly anticipated frontier applications.

While the long-term vision of space-based photovoltaics remains an exciting prospect for future technological leadership, he added that the industry must stay focused on resolving its immediate challenges, such as the issue of overcapacity.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn