Bud Walton Will One Day Be Powered from Space

Breakthroughs in wireless electricity mean Arkansas Razorbacks will eventually play under lights supplied by energy beamed from satellites

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2024 11:48 AM EST

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was easy for elementary school children to envision an adulthood where members of the Arkansas Razorbacks would one day arrive at Barnhill Arena in a solar powered bus and fly to away games in solar powered planes.

While it took longer than expected for it to be possible for players and coaches to have the option to show up to basketball games in electric vehicles charged at least partially through solar power generated electricity, the day has finally arrived. However, as often happens with innovations, once scientists get over the hump, it's a track meet to the future.

Well, welcome to a speedy sprint forward that would even impress legendary Arkansas track and field coach John McDonnell. The United States now possesses the technology to power Bud Walton Arena from space.

Last summer, while Razorbacks fans were licking their wounds from being eliminated from College World Series contention by TCU and pondering when Eric Musselman might be through tinkering with the basketball roster via the portal, scientists at Caltech were conducting a ground-breaking experiment known as the Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment, or MAPLE for short.

Just months earlier, a device known as the Space Solar Power Demonstrator had been launched into orbit. It possesses the capability of conducting three major experiments, the first of which was to collect unfiltered rays from the sun, then beam them to earth in a form that could be usable for electricity.

It was a bold attempt to jump several steps in the evolution of this type of technology. Normally, the first step would be to overcome extreme temperature variations in space using expensive, rigid panels, then move forward from there. However, they chose to take a risk, opting instead for flexible, lightweight power transmitters run by electronic chips that use low-cost silicon technology.

This allowed the device to be much smaller as it could be folded into a more compact form. However, they had no idea for sure if it could survive the launch, nor the deployment from the rocket it rode, much less unfurl and withstand the extreme changes in temperature as waves of radiation from the sun washed over it.

Finally, on May 22, while Van Horn determined the best approach for his pitching roster for the upcoming SEC Tournament, the team at Cal Tech braced to see if it truly could bring about the next great change to the world. The goal was to blast a beam of wireless energy through a small widow on the MAPLE to a receiver on the roof of the Gordon & Betty Moore Laboratory of Engineering at CalTech in Pasadena, California.

The beam arrived at the expected time and frequency, lighting up a pair of LEDs used on Earth to verify the experiment. What immediately became possible is the ability to send power to facilities such as Bud Walton Arena or any of the stadiums on the Arkansas campus.

Long gone are the days of lighting studios and arenas with expensive halogen lamps. The burning hot lights that used to cause talent to sweat profusely and electric bills to soar went by the wayside on a widespread basis in the early 2000s. In their place are much cheaper LEDs that don't generate heat, nor require special careful installation and can have hundreds of colors changed instantly through computer programming rather than burning through gel sheets that generate only one color and must be replaced often.

Because of this, the experiment proves it is possible to use this technology for sporting venues. One of the complaints brought forth by opponents of solar energy is they find it inefficient at times because it can be affected by weather and time of day, plus it is initially limited on its best day because of the atmosphere that protects life on Earth filtering the sun's rays.

In this case, the sun never sets and scientists say the solar rays received generate eight times more power than those on Earth. It's essentially an unlimited supply of power that scientists hope to harness through what scientists at Caltech describe as a constellation of modular spacecraft that will collect solar energy and beam it to specific programmed locations on Earth.

"In the same way that the internet democratized access to information, we hope that wireless energy transfer democratizes access to energy," MAPLE developer Ali Hajimiri said. "No energy transmission infrastructure will be needed on the ground to receive this power. That means we can send energy to remote regions and areas devastated by war or natural disaster."

Despite the potential benefits, when this technology comes fully online, Arkansas will likely be among the last to make the transition. The state has been years behind when it comes to infrastructure and market for making the move to electric vehicles and high speed fiber internet, so it's hard to imagine the Natural State suddenly jumping in line with the rest of the country when it comes to adopting space generated solar energy.

However, even though trends take a lot longer to reach Arkansas, eventually they always find a way. However, recent news indicates a possible concern toward becoming too reliant on such energy.

While Americans have long benefitted from the use of satellites for all forms of communication ranging from television, radio, cell service and GPS devices, a warning out of Washington indicates Russia is putting together plans to place weapons in space with the express purpose of interfering with satellites.

These reports have increased the urgency to fully develop the recently created Space Force as it will be vital in the protection of low-orbit communications satellites and now, theoretically, energy generation. While no developed country builds its power grid around a single source of energy, an attack on American satellites could stop a Razorbacks game in progress due to lack of power or knock the infamous Arkansas Twitter offline.

They're minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, but definite possibilities as the world of sports continues to plow forward into the future.

So, while it may be a while before the next Ricky Council lands an NIL deal to use his unearthly dunking ability to promote flying cars, it's definitely conceivable that if Hunter Yurachek can get Musselman to stick around long enough, he will one day have a batch of transfers looking to dominate the SEC under lights generated by the power of space. In the words of the popular science based anime "Dr. Stone," get excited.