According to Wind statistics, the Wande Space Photovoltaic Concept Index has risen by 34.07% since 2026. The arena of global energy competition is extending from the surface of the Earth to the vast starry sky. From the intensive official announcement of "space layout" by enterprises, to the prediction of "trillion dollar track" by securities research reports, and to the enthusiastic pursuit of rising prices in the capital market, space photovoltaics has become a hot topic at the beginning of the year. Behind this is the rigid demand for commercial aerospace and the future vision of AI computing power, jointly constructing a new narrative of "Starry Ocean". However, it cannot be ignored that space photovoltaics still face multiple obstacles such as technology, engineering, manufacturing, and systems, and there is still a long way to go to truly open the door to commercialization. From satellite power supply to space energy infrastructure, space photovoltaics, in a narrow sense, refers to the installation of dedicated photovoltaic modules on orbiting spacecraft such as satellites, space stations, and deep space probes to provide power support for their stable operation; Broadly speaking, it includes cutting-edge explorations such as wirelessly transmitting space solar power back to the ground through microwaves or lasers. The application of the former has long had precedents. In 1958, the second artificial satellite of the United States carried photovoltaic cells into space for the first time. Nowadays, most spacecraft worldwide are equipped with photovoltaic cells. Why did this technology, which has been developed for over half a century, become a hot topic in 2026? It did not suddenly become popular, but rather the resonance of competition, demand, technology, and cost among the four major factors at present has led to a reassessment of its scale and market potential. ”Dr. Wang Rui from the Future Industry Research Center of CCID Research Institute stated. The most direct driving force comes from the rigid demand of downstream application markets. The current development of space resources has become the core track of global technological competition. According to the application trend of the International Telecommunication Union, major space countries around the world have applied for frequency orbit resources for hundreds of thousands of low orbit satellites, which indicates the long-term potential demand for space photovoltaics from a strategic planning perspective. The expectation of launching over 70000 satellites in the next five years, as well as equipping satellites with larger and more efficient solar wings, is gradually becoming technically and economically feasible, which will jointly drive the space photovoltaic market into a substantial growth stage. At the same time, the ground power system may not be able to support the huge electricity demand of artificial intelligence computing centers in the future, and the concept of "space data centers" has emerged. "The functional positioning of satellites is evolving from providing traditional communication services to carrying high-performance tasks such as edge computing, intelligent processing and even 'space computing power' nodes that may be deployed in the future, and the related power consumption will increase significantly. Under this, efficient and reliable space energy systems are essential, and space photovoltaics are also upgrading from 'supporting subsystems' to core infrastructure. ”Wang Rui pointed out. Under multiple logical resonances, space photovoltaics imagine the opening of space. Several institutions such as China International Capital Corporation (CICC) and Dongwu Securities believe that the demand for space photovoltaics from 2025 to 2030 will still focus on low orbit satellites serving traditional application fields, with a market size of billions of yuan; After 2030, if space computing power enters the optimistic deployment stage, the demand for space photovoltaics is expected to rise to a trillion level scale. The global industry competition is showing off its skills and sniffing out the potential of space photovoltaics in the future, and global enterprises are accelerating their entry. The reporter learned that China has formed an enterprise pattern consisting of three main groups: the national institute system, photovoltaic leaders, and specialized new materials and equipment, focusing on high-value satellites and differentiated competition. A complete industrial chain has been established in the field of "high-performance gallium arsenide" flexible solar wings. For example, the three junction gallium arsenide battery developed by the 811 Institute of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has matured in orbit applications, with a conversion efficiency of over 30%. At the same time, its subsidiary Shanghai Solar Engineering Technology Research Center is promoting the project of low-cost perovskite/back electrode contact crystalline silicon composite stacked solar cells for commercial aerospace space environment adaptation. Leading photovoltaic companies have also increased their efforts in commercial exploration. Tianhe Solar Chairman Gao Jifan has made it clear that by 2026, he will accelerate the mass production and commercialization of perovskite technology, helping to usher in a new era of space photovoltaics. It is reported that the company has completed long-term layout in three major directions: crystalline silicon cells, perovskite stack cells, and III-V gallium arsenide multijunction cells. Previously, crystalline silicon products have cooperated with some leading aerospace companies. Currently, satellite commercial cooperation mainly targets products such as perovskite and crystalline silicon laminates. Longi Green Energy also collaborated with relevant aerospace research institutions to establish the Future Energy Space Laboratory in 2022, to conduct space validation of advanced technologies for future energy and promote the development of future energy related technologies through space validation. We have made significant breakthroughs in technologies such as p-type heterojunction cells, flexible crystalline silicon, and flexible stacked cells. ”The person in charge of the company said. On the other side of the Pacific, American entrepreneur Elon Musk recently announced plans to deploy a 100 million kilowatt solar artificial intelligence satellite energy network into space annually. Countries have formed a differentiated pattern based on resource endowments and strategies. ”Wang Rui introduced that the United States is accelerating the development of satellite platforms and energy systems with large-scale manufacturing as the core, relying on the launch cost advantage brought by reusable rockets. And Europe maintains its advantage in the traditional high-end market. According to a research report by China International Capital Corporation, the current competition in the space photovoltaic industry focuses on having the ability to balance in orbit verification, system general contracting, and production line and verification investment in a leading mode. Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers are actively laying out efficient crystalline silicon and perovskite technologies in the space environment. Among them, enterprises with in orbit verification capabilities and production line landing capabilities are expected to gain certain first mover advantages and release growth elasticity first. The large-scale 'heavenly' challenge is not insignificant, but compared to the enthusiasm of the capital market, the industry is more calm. At present, the concept of space photovoltaics is mainly driven by the hot rotation of funds, and it will take a long time and process to form a real industrial driving force. ”Shen Wenzhong, director of the Solar Energy Research Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized. Many listed companies have also issued risk warnings. For example, on February 4th, Jingsheng Electromechanical announced abnormal fluctuations in stock trading, stating that the application scenarios of "space photovoltaics" are still in the exploratory stage, and the industrialization process still faces uncertainty. Technical challenges are at the forefront. From the current three routes, gallium arsenide batteries have good performance, but their cost is over a thousand times higher than that of ground crystalline silicon batteries; Perovskite cells have high theoretical efficiency and light weight, but their mass production and in orbit stability need to be verified; Low cost silicon-based batteries need to be modified to adapt to the space environment. At present, p-type heterojunction batteries have the most obvious advantages in radiation resistance and lightweight among existing mass production technologies, and are the optimal solution for commercialization transition period. ”Shen Wenzhong believes that high-efficiency silicon-based space photovoltaics may be in the conceptual incubation stage in the next 3 to 5 years, and it will take 8 to 10 years to cultivate them into new growth poles. The launch of photovoltaics is not just a matter of the battery, but also the long-term survival capability of the entire system in extreme space environments. Packaging, welding, and other processes require more rigorous ground simulations and long-term in orbit verification to accumulate data and establish confidence. Mass production is also a major bottleneck. In Wang Rui's view, many advanced space photovoltaic solutions are still in the stage of small-scale or customized production. How to shift from "manufacturing" to "stable, low-cost, and large-scale manufacturing" is a crucial leap for commercial companies. This not only involves upgrading process equipment, but also relies on establishing standardized supply chains, whole process quality control, and cost management systems. In addition, a series of difficulties such as high launch and in orbit operation costs, immature industrial chain supporting systems, and urgent need for clear policies and industry standards all indicate that this is a systematic project that requires joint efforts from multiple departments and fields. Wang Rui believes that space photovoltaics are currently in a critical stage of climbing from "engineering productization" to "scale industrialization". In the future, they should be promoted in four coordinated ways: maintaining diversified technological competition and strengthening scenario adaptation verification; Strengthen reliability design and full cycle testing verification in engineering; Breakthrough key processes in manufacturing, achieve stable batch production and continuous cost reduction; Strengthen collaborative design and integrated innovation across multiple professional fields at the system level. (New Society)