The impetus for Virtus Solis is to provide clean, low-cost renewable energy that directly supplants primary energy production for all terrestrial uses and eventually even extra-terrestrial. Fossil fuels power 85% of the world in a non-sustainable fashion. This must change. There are limited options for disruption because terrestrial renewable power is intermittent - it is seldom available when and where needed. Ubiquitous, inexpensive and clean energy are desperately needed. Cleaning up electric power requires replacing the equivalent of more than a million tons of coal use every day for the next 30 years. But even that is not enough. Globally, most of the planet’s population suffers from energy poverty, and access to low cost energy is the greatest lever for universal prosperity. Limitless low-cost energy solves these problems and promotes sustainable growth and harmony. Virtus Solis is the first low-cost space solar power system able to address the entire $8T energy market.
External link for Virtus Solis Technologies
Troy, MI 48085, US
The amount of power required is not going down. Cleaner, cheaper solutions are needed. We're working on it!
If you don't think Data Centers are desperate for power, xAI bought $30M worth of generators to run their Memphis Supercluster while waiting for grid connect. Future generation demand isn't always going to be on the grid. Space Solar can solve the grid interconnect issues. Ask us how. https://lnkd.in/gE-Sn--Z
Great points!
If you haven't met Gwynne Shotwell, you should. Some takeaways around SpaceX's success: Develop to your own requirements. Obsolete yourself and your hardware as fast as you can. https://lnkd.in/gaBMZT7b
Hear our CTO, Ed Tate on Liftoff here - https://lnkd.in/eZPsBSbs
Regional Edward R. Murrow Award Winning Meteorologist & Space/Science Correspondent, #RocketGirl, Speaker/Moderator, Singer, TOP 100 Women in Aerospace to Follow on LinkedIn, NYC TV Week 40 Under 40
DID YOU KNOW: There's so much to talk about that's happening in the space industry, and so much that involves every human on this planet, as we continue to move forward and explore deep space, the moon, Mars, and beyond. It's important to have real conversations from different perspectives in the business, and each month I join other passionate "Earth astronauts" to discuss the topics you care about with experts in their fields. Foundation For The Future hosts a monthly podcast, Liftoff 🚀, a conference style series where my co-hosts Ubaldo Ciminieri (he/him/his), "The Space Ace", Dr. Plant 🪴 Daniel Tompkins, and "The Galaxis Girl" Inara Tabir and I discuss aspects of the space industry and life in space. In my segment, "The Rocket Girl Report," guests join me for a 1-on-1 conversation about hot topics both in the show and happening in the world for an insightful discussion about what you need to know. We've had incredible guests on the show, including Thomas H. Zurbuchen, Shawna Pandya, MD, Tamitha Mulligan Skov, Ph.D., Dr. Claire A. Nelson, John Billingsley, Laura Winter, Ari Eisenstat, Ed Tate, Peter Garretson, David Cullen, Dr. Egbert Edelbroek, Lee Steinke, Dr. Mindy Howard to name a few, with our July episode posting soon and our August to look out for talking about living in space with Martina Dimoska, Eiman Jahangir, MD, MPH, and Karl Aspelund. EPISODES & MORE: https://lnkd.in/gZcHyCMS #podcast #host #space #spacenews #rocketgirl #journalist
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
This is a perfect illustration of a #systems problem, not a component problem. The electric grid has been referred to as the most complex machine on earth. Among many reasons that is because it is physically huge and carried almost 20% of man-made energy. [1] Its also a challenge because lives depend on delivering that power with high reliability. When power goes down, people die from heat and cold. [2] Industry grinds to halt. So it must work reliably or the consequences are huge. Expanding it is a systems problem, because the economics of power generation get better with scale. - Bigger #gas turbines that run constantly are more efficient - Massive #wind turbines are more efficient than small one - The challenges and side effects of #wind (interconnect, noise and debris hazards) are best managed in large farms than distributed over broad areas - Large #solar farms are less capital intensive than roof top solar by a lot - Dams work better with large bodies of water - The capital cost of #nuclear scales better with large plants So, since bigger is better, just do it in one location.... right? 🤔 But, you can't just generate all of the power one location to take advantage of these scaling rules. The cost of transmission and distribution are alreadyon the order of the generation costs and increasing. That is a massive challenge. It costs between $1 to $8 million dollar a mile for transmission lines. [3] One estimate is as high as $21 Trillion to make 100% terrestrial renewables work. [4] The systems approach would look at all of this to find the most economic solution. We happen to think it is space based solar is a key piece of the electricity solution. It can dramatically drop the cost of #generation, #transmission and #storage. In fact, space based solar can be more then 50 times more effective then trying to collect energy on the ground. It does this by taking advantage of the #fusion reactor 93 million miles away that is available 24/7 once you are in orbit. Virtus Solis Technologies #deeptech #spacetech #cleantech
Deploying the grid required by 2050 by solar and wind would take 140 years to build. But that is not the only problem. The wet dreams of solar and wind advocates are nothing less than delusional hallucinations. The diagram below by Mother Jones (https://lnkd.in/gFVFSK_D) shows visually how the roadmap to net zero using intermittent renewables is a fantasy. The problem of the massive land requirements, or the need for a backup grid to keep the lights on are still unsolved problems. But even without those issues, in the best scenario, it would take solar and wind 140 years to clean the American power grid. A group of Princeton University academics released a report that estimated that, to reach net zero targets, the U.S. will need to increase its transmission capacity by 3.2 times its existing infrastructure by 2050. A more optimistic analysis by the pro-renewables National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggested that the U.S. could reach 90% renewable electricity with 'only' a twofold increase in its existing 240,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. Based on data from The C Three Group | Yes Energy, which tracks the growth of energy infrastructure, the U.S. high-voltage transmission system grew by about 1,700 miles per year between 2008 and 2021. At this rate, it would take about 44 years to achieve the 2035 goals and about 140 years to reach the National Renewable Energy Laboratory requirements for 2050. And this is under the optimistic scenario. Note that the additional land taken only by the new power lines required by solar and wind would be larger than the state of Pennsylvania, add the land required by new solar fields and wind blades imported from China. Wind and solar have already exploited the easy opportunities where they did not need new power lines. The renewables industry is now facing the reality that future deployments will not be as fast and economical as before. This challenges the assumption that wind and solar can reduce emissions faster than other clean technologies such as nuclear that do not depend on the slow, costly, and environmentally disruptive construction of long new power lines. Just replace coal plants with plug-in nuclear reactors, no need for additional power lines.
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
To just keep US electricity production in line with current population growth and EV adoption, an area the size of Albuquerque, New Mexico needs to be converted to solar farms each year. #checkmymath Every 14 seconds, the US population increases by one person. [1] That is 6171 people each day or 2.25 million each year. To maintain the standard of living in the US, approximately 1500 W [2] of firm 24/7 electricity generating capacity needs to be added for each new person. That is 3.3 GW that need to be added each year. In 2023, roughly 100,000 BEVs were registered each month in the US. [3] Or about every 27 seconds a new #BEV requires additional power from the electric grid. The typical #EV requires about 11.5 KWh/day, so this is almost another 500 W [4] of electric generation capability required for each vehicle. This is another 600 MW each year. Other trends are also increasing demand for electricity like industry reshoring, electrification of everything, and growing demand from data centers. New generation is also needed to replace aging coal and gas plants as they retire. But, just looking at population growth and electrifying transportation requires adding almost 11 Megawatts of firm new net generation capacity every 24 hours. Annually, the US needs 34 TWh of additional energy or 4 GW of new net generation capacity a year just to keep up with these two trends. If this demand is met with solar, it requires about 120,000 additional acres of land to be dedicated to solar each year. [5] This is about the size of #Albuquerque, New Mexico [6] Energy storage for nighttime and seasonal usage increases resource usage even more. As #electrification of the economy picks up, the annual area that needs to be converted to solar farms should be expected to increase. I know this is a wild idea, but, ….. By relocating a solar farm into orbit and beaming power to the ground, it’s possible to deliver power using less than 20% of the land required for terrestrial solar. Additionally, it’s possible to bypass transmission lines and eliminate the need for batteries to store energy. Space based solar power (#SBSP) is a solution that can scale to provide the #energy needed with less environmental impact and at less cost than the alternatives. Virtus Solis Technologies #deeptech #hardtech #spacetech
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
Students, professors and other ISAM Community members: an information session on the COSMIC Capstone Challenge is happening this week! 📅 Wed 8/14/2024 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM. 📌 Email [email protected] or message Joey Heying to be added to the meeting invitation. Here are some of the elements that may make this a good fit for your team, students, or class: 🚀 The 2024-25 challenge asks students to create a conceptual design for ISAM demonstration mission 🚀 Project focus on the conceptual design phase, which can benefit from the fresh insights of engineering students 🚀 Monthly seminars from experts in ISAM and other pertinent fields 🚀 Weekly or biweekly mentoring from a dedicated industry expert already working in the ISAM field 🚀 As part of the COSMIC network, great ideas can be developed further. Opens doors to work in a cutting-edge area, exposing students to new concepts and positioning them well for future employment in related fields 🚀 All entrants will present to professionals at a 30-minute outbrief in mid-April (with a back-up option in June)
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
As we forge ahead in the quest for sustainable energy solutions, I am deeply excited about the transformative potential of innovative technologies that can address the energy challenges faced by communities across Africa. The prospect of leveraging groundbreaking advancements, such as space-based solar power, offers a revolutionary approach to providing reliable and continuous energy. Virtus Solis Technologies Technologies is at the forefront of this vision, aiming to harness the sun’s power from space and deliver it to Earth—24/7. This pioneering initiative is not just about technological advancement; it's about creating tangible benefits for underserved regions. I am particularly passionate about starting to test these solutions in rural areas with no access to electricity. By directing investment towards these game-changing technologies, we can make a profound impact on communities in need while supporting our commitment to renewable energy. If you are interested in exploring investment opportunities or discussing how we can collaborate on these exciting projects, please contact me. Let’s work together to drive innovation and make a real difference in the world. #RenewableEnergy #SustainableSolutions #CleanTech #SpaceBasedSolar #Innovation #EnergyAccess #ClimateAction #AfricaEnergy #TechForGood #FutureOfEnergy #InvestInInnovation #EnergyEquity #GreenTech #EnergyTransformation #SocialImpact
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
A #plumber can cost $200 an hour. [1] And, when you need one, its hard to say no. A #lawyer can charge $500 or more an hour. [2] When the results are life changing no price is too high. However, if you absolutely need the human touch in space, the costs are astronomical. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration published their price list for doing things in space. A single hour of #astronaut time will cost a cool $130,000 an hour. [3] Yes, $130,000 per hour. That works out to $260 million a year. And, like any high priced good, it is in limited supply. If you need that work done by a human, you need to buy before its all gone. Only 90 hours a year are available [3] and you can't take it all. Any one company can only buy 25 hours a year. Lest you think an #astronaut is raking it in, they only see about $50/hour in their paycheck before taxes. [4] That's about $10 dollars an hour more than a master plumber [5] and a lot less than a lawyer. Oh well, at least the astronaut gets to travel to exotic locations and has a spectacular view occasionally. NASA is not price gouging. The cost to get a person into orbit and keep them alive is huge. [6] This astronaut hourly rate makes a great case for #robotics and #AI in space. Automation and robotics will be necessary to do big things in space like space base solar power (#SBSP). Along with dropping launch costs [7], Its one of the reasons the projected cost of doing big things in space is dropping quickly and the #space #economy is poised to grow. Virtus Solis Technologies #deeptech #hardtech #spacetech
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
Interesting progress on the co-locating of loads near generation. As you might know, Talen Energy has a 2.2GW stake in the Susquehanna Nuclear Power plant that it would like to leverage by selling energy to Amazon Web Services (AWS) in a campus adjacent (which it sold to AWS for $650M). Competitors such as American Electric Power objected on the basis that co-located loads wouldn't pay their fair share of transmission lines fees. FERC has indicated that it is agreeable to the deal. As demand for energy rises, the long distances from generation to users becomes a bigger challenge as transmission and energy storage (if for renewables) are a large fraction of the total energy bill. Do you think it fair for energy consumers to site adjacent to generation to benefit from not needing those transmission lines? #SpaceSolar is well-suited to such applications as the load can be steady and can be sited anywhere, especially at high latitudes like Pennsylvania where renewables have near-zero capacity factors in winter. #solar #sbsp https://lnkd.in/gxR6xWEZ https://lnkd.in/gDTMZP9W
Virtus Solis Technologies reposted this
This is really cool as an engineer! We moved #energy for over a million years using atoms. [1] Our earliest ancestors carried sticks to their fires to keep warm. Today we move almost 16 TW worth of fossil fuels continuously to keep civilization running. [2] About 150 years ago, we started moving significant amounts of energy using electrons. [3] Today, we move about 3.3 TW worth of electricity continuously. [4] Electrons are great because they can be moved a lot cheaper and cleaner than moving atoms. About 70 years ago, the first experiments successfully moved energy over long distances using photons (light, in all of its forms).[5] In the past few years, the technology has been rapidly changing to make it possible to move significant power wirelessly. Wireless power transfer through photons is great because it can be much more resource efficient than any other way to move energy. Even if we want to move it from space to earth. Just like information moved from wires to wireless, energy can do the same. It’s quite gratifying too see the result of years of hard work by our great team at Virtus Solis Technologies featured in this best selling book on power beaming. Thanks to everyone whose thoughts, analysis, sweat, advice, and investment helped us get here! Congrats to Paul Jaffe , Tom Nugent, Jr. , Bernd Strassner, and Mitchel Szazynski for creating an excellent reference about the future of moving power. [6] #deeptech #hardtech #spacetech #SBSP