{"id":6365,"date":"2026-07-16T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/?p=6365"},"modified":"2026-07-15T17:23:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T22:23:12","slug":"a-japanese-firm-wants-to-wrap-the-moons-equator-in-an-11000-kilometer-solar-belt-and-how-it-would-beam-that-power-to-earth-is-unlike-anything-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/a-japanese-firm-wants-to-wrap-the-moons-equator-in-an-11000-kilometer-solar-belt-and-how-it-would-beam-that-power-to-earth-is-unlike-anything-today\/6365\/","title":{"rendered":"A Japanese firm wants to wrap the Moon’s equator in an 11,000-kilometer solar belt, and how it would beam that power to Earth is unlike anything today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Imagine looking up at the Moon on a clear night and seeing more than a familiar gray disk. In Shimizu Corporation\u2019s boldest clean-energy concept, the lunar equator would be wrapped with a 6,835-mile belt of solar cells, turning Earth\u2019s nearest neighbor into a giant power station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea is called Luna Ring, but no, it is not under construction. In any case, as countries look for cleaner power, stronger energy security, and ways to keep electricity flowing when clouds, heat waves, or fuel shocks hit the grid, space-based solar power<\/a> is moving from science fiction into serious engineering tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A moonshot from an old builder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shimizu Corporation is not a space startup chasing hype. The Japanese construction and engineering company traces its history back to 1804, when Kisuke Shimizu I founded the business in Edo, now Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also Read: South Korea fired eight cannons at 50 cheap drones at $18,336 a second, but six survived and the math is brutal<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That makes the Luna Ring proposal feel a little different from a casual sketch. Shimizu\u2019s official concept calls for solar cells around the Moon\u2019s equator, with the electricity converted into microwave and laser beams and transmitted back to Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, the company is asking a wild but useful question: what if solar power did not have to stop at night, lose strength under clouds, or fight for land near crowded cities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Moon changes the math<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Solar power on Earth<\/a> has one obvious weakness. It depends on the weather, the time of day, and the amount of land available for panels, transmission lines, and maintenance roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Moon is different. It has no thick atmosphere, no clouds, and no rainy season. A solar belt around the lunar equator would always have some part facing the Sun, which is the basic trick behind the whole concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hard part should be fairly obvious. The Moon sits about 239,000 miles from Earth on average, according to NASA, so this is not like plugging a cable into a rooftop solar array.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Concept
Shimizu Corporation’s Luna Ring proposal envisions using lunar resources and autonomous robots to build an 11,000-km solar belt for continuous power generation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How power would get home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Luna Ring plan imagines solar cells turning sunlight into electricity on the lunar surface<\/a>. Cables would then move that power toward the side of the Moon that faces Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, transmission stations would convert the electricity into microwaves and high-energy laser beams. On Earth, receiving stations known as rectennas would convert microwave energy back into usable direct-current electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds simple when written in a few sentences\u2013it is anything but. Keeping a beam locked onto a safe receiving site across nearly a quarter-million miles of space would require extraordinary precision, constant monitoring, and public trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers are enormous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shimizu\u2019s concept includes solar panel widths ranging from a few miles to roughly 250 miles. The company has also floated a maximum output figure of 13,000 terawatts, a number so large that it is better understood as a sign of scale than as a near-term forecast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For perspective, the International Energy Agency says global electricity generation grew by more than 1,200 terawatt-hours in 2024 alone, while fossil fuels still supplied nearly 60% of the world\u2019s electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also Read: A Finn built a solar boat in his shed and sailed it 5,000 km from Finland to Ibiza with zero refueling<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That is why ideas like Luna Ring keep coming back. The world is adding renewables fast, but demand is also rising, from air conditioning and data centers to electric vehicles and industrial electrification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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