British homes to be powered by electricity from space under futuristic plans to reduce bills

HOMES will be powered by electricity from space under futuristic plans to reduce energy bills.

The Government is investing more than £4million in space-based solar power.

China, America and Japan are all working on similar projects, which collect solar energy from satellites and beam it back to Earth with wireless technology.

The plans aim to provide cheaper bills for households and improve Britain’s energy security.

Eight projects will be given a total of £4.3million to push innovation in the growing sector.

These include £770,000 in funding for Cambridge University to develop ultra-light solar panels to be deployed in orbit.

And £960,000 will be given to Queen Mary University in London to work on a wireless power transmission system to get the energy back to Earth.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I want the UK to boldly go where no country has gone before — boosting our energy security by getting power directly from space.

“By putting the UK at the forefront of this rapidly emerging industry, we can transform the way we power our nation and provide cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy for generations to come.”

An independent study in 2021 found space-based solar power could cheaply and reliably generate ten gigawatts of electricity a year — a quarter of the UK’s power needs — by 2050.