Is photovoltaic energy the end of space computing power?
Recently, space photovoltaics has become a hot topic.
According to the latest news, documents recently disclosed by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) show that SpaceX is applying to launch and operate a constellation consisting of up to 1 million satellites and build an orbital AI data center network.
From satellite power supply to space computing power, space photovoltaics is a long journey into the “vast expanse of the universe”. Recently, reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily called several listed companies involved in related businesses as investors to learn about their latest business progress. Overall, although many listed companies have carried out relevant technology layouts, many enterprises remain relatively cautious, believing that this field is still in the exploration stage.
Multiple factors contribute to the popularity of space photovoltaics
Space photovoltaics refers to solar energy technology that provides power for spacecraft such as satellites and space stations. Its core principle is the same as that of ground - based photovoltaics, which is to convert solar energy into electrical energy through photoelectric conversion. However, due to its special application scenario, it needs to operate stably in an environment of extreme temperature differences (-150°C to +150°C), high radiation, and high vacuum.
Many industry insiders believe that different from the competition logic of ground - based photovoltaics, the core competitiveness of space photovoltaics lies in reliability and environmental adaptability, which puts forward higher requirements for technical precision and material stability.
Regarding the core inflation logic of space photovoltaics, Yin Shenglu, an analyst at Kaiyuan Securities, believes that the ground - based photovoltaic track has entered a red - ocean stage of extreme cost competition, while the business logic of space photovoltaics is fundamentally different from that of ground - based scenarios. The terminal carrier of space photovoltaics is satellites, and their core requirement is the reliability of the power supply system, rather than simply reducing costs. Replacing gallium arsenide batteries with crystalline silicon batteries can significantly reduce the hardware cost of solar wings, but it doesn't mean that the lower the price, the better. Because once a satellite power supply safety failure occurs due to insufficient reliability of battery products, it will directly lead to the scrapping of the entire satellite, and the resulting asset loss will far exceed the procurement cost of the batteries themselves. In his view, space photovoltaics fundamentally abandons the “low - price first” competition model, and safety and stability are the top priorities.
Facing the current popularity of space photovoltaics, some industry insiders analyzed to reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily that this is not accidental but the result of the combined effect of multiple factors such as “resources, competition, and strategy”.
Specifically, on the supply side, currently, the green energy transformation has entered the “deep - water zone”, and the global solar energy system is facing development bottlenecks. Ground - based photovoltaics are restricted by factors such as day - night alternation, weather changes, and geographical latitude, and there are natural theoretical limits in terms of energy density and stability. If we want to meet the huge future global energy demand, relying solely on ground - based photovoltaics will face unbearable land and ecological pressures.
On the demand side, in recent years, the accelerated development of artificial intelligence, computing centers, and the process of full electrification has created a huge demand for continuous, stable, and high - density base - load energy. The intermittent shortcoming of traditional renewable energy has become more prominent. At the same time, the rapid development of near - earth orbit satellite Internet, giant constellations, space stations, and deep - space exploration activities has put forward a rigid demand for continuous, efficient, and reliable in - orbit energy supply.
In the longer term, China has set the goal of achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. To achieve the grand goal of “dual carbon”, we must quickly find a new strategic path that can break through the physical limitations of the earth's surface and provide almost unlimited clean electricity. Space photovoltaics is one of the important cutting - edge solutions to address the above - mentioned multiple challenges.
Multiple listed companies respond to the latest business progress
From the perspective of the industrial chain, currently, space photovoltaics covers multiple core sectors, including upstream materials and equipment, mid - stream battery manufacturing, and downstream spacecraft applications. Among them, in terms of upstream materials, it involves battery raw materials such as gallium arsenide, crystalline silicon, and perovskite, as well as core production equipment such as MOCVD equipment and laser processing equipment; the mid - stream focuses on the R & D and manufacturing of various space photovoltaic batteries, forming a diversified technology competition pattern; the downstream is connected to application scenarios such as low - orbit satellites, space stations, and space computing centers, directly serving the commercial space industry.
From the latest business progress of listed companies related to the industrial chain, a relevant person in charge of JinkoSolar told reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily that perovskite tandem batteries, with their intrinsic advantages of “high efficiency, low cost, light weight, and flexibility”, are more in line with the needs of space photovoltaics compared with other technology routes and are the “optimal solution for space photovoltaics in the medium and long term”. “This energy system solution with light weight and high radiation resistance can significantly reduce the deployment area of satellite solar wings, leaving more payload space for other key devices. We expect that perovskite tandem batteries are expected to achieve a certain scale of mass production in about three years.”
Trina Solar said that its National Key Laboratory has relevant technology layouts for perovskite tandem batteries and gallium arsenide solar batteries. “In the past, the company's crystalline silicon products have had some cooperation with leading aerospace enterprises in Europe and the United States. Currently, the commercial cooperation is mainly for products such as perovskite and crystalline silicon tandems, targeting satellite customers. In terms of planning, it mainly aims to promote to three parties: leading customers in Europe and the United States, core domestic research institutions, and domestic commercial space enterprises. Currently, it maintains close contact with various customers and has started the corresponding construction of the supply chain.”
Sunrise New Energy said that the company focuses on perovskite and P - type HJT tandem technology through strategic cooperation, and its 50 - micron ultra - thin P - type HJT batteries have achieved small - batch delivery and are applied in the commercial space field.
A staff member of JPT Opto - Electronics, a photovoltaic equipment enterprise, told reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily that the company delivered photovoltaic perovskite laser die - cutting equipment to customers in 2025, but the visibility of current orders needs to be improved.
A staff member of Dier Laser told reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily that the company has a series of thin - film laser scribing equipment for perovskite batteries, which has been applied in the pilot line and is also deployed in multiple thin - film processing links of perovskite production, but the revenue from perovskite equipment accounts for a relatively small proportion. “From the perspective of mass production, currently, the industrialization speed of BC batteries is the fastest, and the effect is also the most obvious. The company is also continuously paying attention to aspects such as HJT and perovskite tandems.”
Gaoce Co., Ltd. said that the demand for ultra - thin silicon wafers is expected to be gradually opened up with the application of ultra - thin flexible HJT batteries in space photovoltaics.
ST Jingji said that the company is one of the earliest listed companies in China to focus on the R & D and industrialization of perovskite equipment and has started the layout since 2020. Regarding space photovoltaics, the company has carried out technology reserves in this direction, such as developing roll - to - roll equipment for flexible production and vertical deposition equipment suitable for ultra - thin glass coating to meet the special requirements of future space photovoltaics for weight, foldability, and reliability.
As the popularity of the space photovoltaic field heats up, reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily noticed that some photovoltaic enterprises are accelerating their “advance” into space.
Among them, on the evening of January 14 this year, Junda Co., Ltd. issued an “Announcement on External Investment to Participate in Shanghai Xingyi Xineng Technology Co., Ltd.”, planning to contribute 30 million yuan in cash to participate in Shanghai Xingyi Xineng Technology Co., Ltd., subscribe for 461,539 yuan of the newly increased registered capital of Xingyi Xineng, and obtain 16.6667% of its equity.
According to its announcement, the above - mentioned investment is based on the pre - investment valuation of Xingyi Xineng at 150 million yuan. Xingyi Xineng is a newly established company on January 6, 2026, which plans to undertake all the assets, personnel, and business of the original business entity, Hangzhou Shangyi Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. After the completion of the capital increase and equity structure adjustment, Junda Co., Ltd. will become one of the important shareholders of Xingyi Xineng.
In response, reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily called Junda Co., Ltd., and its staff responded that Junda Co., Ltd. mainly focuses on ground - based photovoltaic battery business, and the application of perovskite technology in the space solar energy field has certain advantages. This investment can be regarded as an extension of the company's existing product application scenarios to the space photovoltaic field. “The scale of the initial investment is relatively small, and the cooperation partner has achieved certain preliminary R & D results in the relevant field.”
Regarding the issue of the ownership of core intellectual property rights, Junda Co., Ltd. said that this cooperation is carried out based on a joint - venture company. If the intellectual property rights belong to the joint - venture company, they will be owned by the joint - venture company. “The current cooperation is still in the early R & D stage. The joint - venture partner has completed ground verification, and subsequent in - orbit verification and other links are still needed.”
Recently, several photovoltaic listed companies triggered trading anomalies due to a sharp rise in their stock prices in the short term and issued announcements to explain the situation. Among them, Laplace reminded in the stock price anomaly announcement that there is great uncertainty in the industrialization of space photovoltaics, and the photovoltaic industry is undergoing an adjustment of supply - demand imbalance, calling on investors to make rational decisions.
Overall, currently, many enterprises adopt a strategy of “technology reserve + responding to demand”, remaining relatively cautious and believing that this field is still in the exploration stage.
Opportunities and challenges of space photovoltaics
It should be noted that due to the significant differences in the space environment compared with the ground, photovoltaic technology in large - scale commercial applications in space puts forward new requirements for product performance and technology focus.
A relevant person in charge of JinkoSolar analyzed to reporters from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily that in terms of technical stability and material reliability, space is a vacuum environment. Without the reflection and scattering of the earth's atmosphere, the intensity of sunlight and the impact of thermal radiation are significantly stronger than on the ground. Space equipment needs to withstand extreme temperature shocks, experiencing a ±150°C cycle every 1.5 - 2 hours; there are also many challenges in space, such as high - energy radiation (gamma rays, X - rays) and atomic oxygen erosion, which directly affect the battery structure and cause the attenuation of photoelectric conversion efficiency.
In terms of flexibility and light weight, flexibility and light weight are key advantages in space photovoltaic applications, which can significantly improve the design flexibility and payload efficiency of spacecraft. Since satellite launches are extremely sensitive to weight and space, light weight can reduce launch costs and leave more payload space for other key devices. At the same time, the flexible characteristics make solar cells easier to integrate into complex structures such as roll - up satellite solar wings to meet different orbital and mission requirements.
In terms of production and cost, production cost is of great significance for space photovoltaic applications. Although space photovoltaics have advantages such as high efficiency, high energy density, and 24 - hour uninterrupted power generation, its large - scale commercial application is still limited by factors such as material availability, production process complexity, and cost. After large - scale commercialization, relevant technologies may further achieve lower costs than crystalline silicon batteries, thereby improving economic feasibility.
Looking at the industry, currently, from the perspective of technology routes, more than 95% of global satellite energy relies on gallium arsenide solar batteries, which have high conversion efficiency and strong radiation resistance but extremely high costs. According to estimates, the cost of gallium arsenide epitaxial wafers is dozens of times that of ground - based crystalline silicon batteries, which seriously restricts the commercial feasibility of large - scale space energy deployment.
At the same time, many industry insiders believe that due to the core advantages of HJT batteries, such as thin - sheet form, low silver consumption, low attenuation, and low temperature coefficient, it has become the most suitable crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology route for space scenarios at present. The industrialization of tandem battery technology will reshape the boundaries of photovoltaic application scenarios, and perovskite tandem batteries are the ultimate direction.
Regarding the timeline for industry commercialization, industry views vary. Among them, BOC International analyzed that space photovoltaic technology is still in the early stage of development. In the space photovoltaic sub - scenario, multiple technology routes, including gallium arsenide, crystalline silicon, and perovskite, have not converged, and it is difficult to predict the final outcome of industry development at this stage.
Galaxy Securities predicted that with the decline in commercial space launch costs and breakthroughs in battery technology, space photovoltaics are expected to be gradually commercialized in the next 10 to 15 years.
This article is from the WeChat public account “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily”, author: Wang Chufan Li Yu, published by 36Kr with authorization.