Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - Dec 6, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of meeting in progress
2. Various of signing ceremony of experimental base project for space solar power stations
3. Launch ceremony of experimental base project for space solar power stations
4. Various of attendees
5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Bao Weimin, academician, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ending with shot 6):
"I think it's quite necessary to build the basic experimental base for space solar power stations in Chongqing. We hope the base will contribute fundamentally to space stations and space solar power stations in the future."

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Clips of promotional video of China's space solar power stations

Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - Dec 6, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xie Gengxin, vice president, Chongqing Military-civilian Integration Institute of Innovation (starting with shot 6/ending with shots 8-9):
"It will promote space research, nurturing of talents and development of relevant disciplines. Through research into the key technologies of space solar power stations and instrumentalising the technologies, we can build industrial clusters focused on space power."

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Clips of promotional video of China's space solar power stations
9. Various of researchers at work
10. Various of workers walking around field with solar panels
11. Various of field with solar panels

China launched on Thursday its first experimental base project for space solar power stations.

The base is set to be located in Bishan District of Chongqing Municipality in the country's southwest.

The Chongqing University, China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the Xidian University jointly signed the cooperation deal with the Bishan District government at a forum on space solar power station technologies.

The aim is to research into space-based solar power (SBSP), that is, to collect solar power in outer space and then transmit it to the earth.

"I think it's quite necessary to build the basic experimental base for space solar power stations in Chongqing. We hope the base will contribute fundamentally to space stations and space solar power stations in the future," said Bao Weimin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Due to the lack of diffusing atmosphere and a longer collection period without night time, the collection rate of solar power is much higher in space. Space solar power station is hence regarded as a good way for providing clean energy for human use and protecting the environment on earth.

The construction of the experimental base in Bishan is scheduled to start in early 2019, with the investment in the first phase totaling around 200 million yuan (about 29.1 million U.S. dollars). The base will cover an area of 200 mu (13.3 hectares), consisting of facilities including a launch site and a balloon platform adjustment center. It is expected to conduct large-scale research on space solar power stations starting in 2025.

"It will promote space research, nurturing of talents and development of relevant disciplines. Through research into the key technologies of space solar power stations and instrumentalising the technologies, we can build industrial clusters focused on space power," said Xie Gengxin, vice president of the Chongqing Military-civilian Integration Institute of Innovation.