A dedicated half-day program produced by the Space Frontier Foundation — September 30, 2026, at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, DC. Panels, keynotes, and an interactive workshop bringing the most credible voices in Space Solar Power into direct dialogue with utility, grid, and energy industry leaders.
Space Solar Power (SSP) collects solar energy in orbit and transmits it wirelessly to Earth via proven microwave or laser techniques. Because satellites receive near-constant sunlight unobstructed by atmosphere or weather, SSP delivers 24/7 uninterrupted, zero-carbon, dispatchable power — independent of weather, seasons, or geography.
For energy professionals, it's best understood in familiar terms:
- Firm clean generation with a capacity factor above 95% — comparable to nuclear, not solar or wind
- Dispatchable power that can be directed to any location on Earth with a receiving rectenna
- No long-duration storage required to achieve 24/7 delivery
- No new high-voltage transmission corridors required to reach underserved or constrained regions
SSP directly addresses the structural problems energy professionals deal with daily: intermittency, grid integration complexity, transmission bottlenecks, and the rising cost and physical limits of long-duration storage. It doesn't incrementally optimize around those constraints — it removes them at the source.
Despite rapid global progress, most energy professionals haven't yet encountered Space Solar Power as a credible near-term option. That gap is closing fast:
- DARPA beamed over 800 W via laser across 8.6 km for 30 seconds in 2025 — new world records for distance and duration in wireless power transmission
- The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is preparing end-to-end in-orbit microwave beaming demonstrations in 2025–26
- Japan will test beaming 1 kW from a satellite in low Earth orbit to Earth via microwaves in 2026
- China Academy of Space Technology has orbital tests planned for 2028, with first MW-scale SSP plants targeted for 2030
- Caltech's 2023 SSPD-1 mission successfully beamed power wirelessly in space — testing structures, solar cells, and microwave transmitters in orbit
- U.S. and UK startups backed by over $100M — including Breakthrough Energy — are targeting in-orbit demos by 2028
High-efficiency space-grade solar panels and reusable heavy launch vehicles are now maturing simultaneously — an enabling convergence that didn't exist five years ago. NASA's 2024 analysis puts SSP's projected LCOE at $30–80/MWh by 2050. European and UK studies estimate competitiveness with dispatchable renewables at €88–156/MWh.
This is a first-of-its-kind effort to bring the Space Solar Power conversation directly to utility and energy sector decision-makers — in a sustained, technically grounded half-day block, integrated into Experience POWER 2026.
- Introduce SSP to power sector decision-makers in a practical, grounded way — not as a distant science project, but as a credible planning horizon item
- Translate SSP into frameworks energy leaders already use: levelized costs, capacity factor, transmission integration, regulatory pathways — so attendees leave with a basis for action
- Connect energy system providers to SSP resources and build a sustained network for early movers
The half-day block runs the morning of Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, integrated within the broader Experience POWER and Data Center Power Exchange agenda (September 28 – October 1).
Keynote: Why Space Belongs in this Energy Room
The opening keynote will explain why space solar power should now enter the planning horizon of utilities, data center operators, investors, and energy policymakers - and what this symposium aims to accomplish.
What Space Solar Power Is
A brief overview offers an introduction to the technology and the impact of a Space Solar Power future, establishing a common foundation for the discussions that follow.
Does the Case for Space Solar Power Hold Up?
A rigorous debate, argued on both sides through the frameworks energy planners and investors already apply: cost, capacity value, system reliability, financing, transmission integration, technology risk, and how space solar power should be represented in established power-system models. One side argues the case holds. The other argues the money is better spent on terrestrial paths. Neither side is a straw man.
Company Spotlights
Throughout the symposium five companies share their approach to this opportunity. These focused presentations provide a rapid view of the different architectures, business models, and near-term applications emerging across the space solar power industry.
Speakers: Mark Menezes, Sean Mahoney, Marc Berte, John Bucknell, Chris Davlantes, Vincent Handley, Andrew Rush, Daniel Kammen, and Ely Sandler
Compelling Advantage for Hyperscale Computing
As AI drives unprecedented demand for reliable electricity, hyperscalers are investing billions in new nuclear, geothermal, and other firm energy resources. This session explores where space solar power could fit into that landscape—powering terrestrial data centers, enabling orbital computing, or creating entirely new energy architectures that combine both.
Milestones for Future AI Infrastructure
Space solar companies, hyperscalers, and utility leaders will discuss where Space Solar Power could create unique value, what performance and economics operators would require, and the technical and commercial hurdles that must be overcome before adoption becomes realistic.
Geopolitical Lens & Policy Activities and Actions
Space Solar Power is not only an energy technology; it could become strategic infrastructure influencing industrial capacity, energy security, international standards, and economic competitiveness. This session will examine how the United States and other nations are approaching Space Solar Power, which regulatory and governance frameworks already apply, where critical gaps remain, and how government and industry can move together without slowing innovation.
Speakers: Peter Garretson, Karen Jones, and Michelle Hanlon
- Take this session into your organization
- Steps to integrate into planning
- Things space needs to know
- Worth considering
After learning about the potential, the challenges, the opportunity, and the threats, what do you need to continue considering Space Solar Power? An open, interactive working session that turns the morning’s discussion into practical next steps. Participants and speakers will identify priority questions, potential partnerships, pilot opportunities, research needs, and actions that utilities, companies, investors, and public agencies can begin pursuing now.
Speakers: Sean Mahoney, Marc Berte, John Bucknell, Chris Davlantes, Vincent Handley, Andrew Rush, Daniel Kammen, and Ely Sandler
Speakers and panelists for most sessions have been contacted and confirmed. The program brings together SSP technologists, utility and grid leaders, policy officials, investors, and commercial developers across all sessions. Full speaker list coming soon.
The Space Frontier Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to opening the space frontier to benefit humanity through the power of free enterprise. Outside the space industry, Space Solar Power is undervalued as a potential energy solution. The Foundation listens to the energy community, connects it with SSP innovators, and translates the technology's value in practical terms — to accelerate market arrival.
We produced the 2025 International Conference on Energy from Space in France, bringing together governments, energy companies, space agencies, startups, and investors. The event demonstrated strong global momentum and cross-sector demand for SSP engagement. Experience POWER is where that conversation comes to the U.S. energy community.
Sponsoring this track places your organization in front of the utility, grid, and energy industry leaders who will shape how SSP enters the grid — in the room where decisions are made.
- Complimentary Symposium access for one member of your organization
- Reduced-price access to Experience Power and Data Center POWER eXchange
- Logo on Experience Power 2026 marketing materials and website
- Logo on spacefrontier.org as a key supporter
- All Tier I benefits
- Dedicated meter board in the program area — direct visibility to energy industry attendees
- Dedicated table with time for presentations of your technology and company
- Facilitated 1-to-1 introductions with Experience Power and Data Center POWER eXchange attendees
- Private dinner with energy leaders
- Discounted sponsorship tiers for the Energy from Space 2027 conference
- And other options tailored to your goals