A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory-led team of scientists has been selected as the winner of the first Defense Department Diplomacy, Development, and Defense Innovation Summit Pitch Challenge.The NRL said Friday that the team included members from the State Department Bureau of Energy Implementation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Joint Staff Logistics Directorate, U.S. Air Force Air University Center for Space Innovation, Mankins Space Technology and Northrop Grumman,
NRL added the winning concept was designed to harness solar energy from space to power terrestrial instruments.
“The proposed approach entails collection of solar energy, its conversion to microwave energy, and the wireless transmission of the microwaves to the Earth,” said Jaffe.
He further noted the concept aims to address issues that affect terrestrial solar energy such as diurnal cycles and atmospheric losses.
NRL said Jaffe’s team was selected winner in four out of seven award categories for Innovation, Presentation, Collaboration and People’s Choice among the top six teams across DoD and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The innovation challenge is an interagency initiative that aims to catalyze ideas and collaborations on issues concerning national security and wealth, NRL noted.
An international team will conduct feasibility analyses on the winning proposal and if successful, the approach could enable construction of platforms that will supply thousands of megawatts through wireless power transmissions, NRL said.
