Blue Origin's Alchemist Technology Can Make Solar Panels on the Moon
Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin has figured out how to manufacture solar panels on the Moon that only require materials already available on the lunar surface.
The technology to achieve this is called Blue Alchemist(Opens in a new window), and it has the potential to directly benefit Earth, too.
In order to develop its technology, Blue Origin first synthesized a terrestrial material to approximately match the abundant rock and dust found on the surface of the Moon (lunar regolith). A reactor was then developed to perform molten regolith electrolysis and produce iron, silicon, and aluminum, with oxygen as a byproduct that can be used for propulsion and life support.
The reactor operates at temperatures above 1,600 degrees Celsius, and the silicon produced is then purified to more than 99.999% using only sunlight. Molten regolith electrolysis byproducts are used to create cover glass to protect the solar cells for at least a decade, and the aluminum is used as wire.
Blue Alchemist is impressive for two reasons: Not only does it pave the way for easy and abundant access to electrical power on the Moon, the technology requires no water, no toxic chemicals or ingredients, and produces no carbon emissions while manufacturing the panels. It therefore has the potential to be used on Earth as an eco-friendly alternative to current solar panel manufacturing processes.
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