A novel Dyson-Harrop CubeSat for harvesting energy in solar wind

This paper presents a novel design for a Dyson-Harrop CubeSat aimed at harvesting energy from the solar wind. Unlike current photovoltaic-based satellite energy generation, the Dyson-Harrop satellite generates energy based on the photoelectric effect, which has the potential to achieve significantly higher efficiency than current photovoltaic technology. The proposed CubeSat system consists of three main components: a tether unit, an energy harvesting unit, and the central 3U CubeSat body. The tether unit generates a cylindrical magnetic field along its main tether, effectively concentrating electrons from the solar wind to the energy harvesting unit. The energy harvesting unit includes a spherical electron receiver, functioning as a capacitor, which attracts electrons from the solar wind, as well as an annular flat solar sail that captures photons in the solar wind to eject electrons via the photoelectric effect, resulting in an electric current in the system. The Dyson-Harrop CubeSat is shown to be highly efficient as an energy-generation system, producing approximately 1 kW of power by a 3U CubeSat. This energy can be transmitted via microwave beams to other spacecraft or ground stations on the Earth. It is important to note that this estimation is based on first-principle estimations, and thorough theoretical analysis and experimental validation are required to confirm the feasibility of the concept.