Ah, the allure of orbital solar panels! In most space‑opera worlds, the panels almost seem to defy physics, humming at near‑perfect efficiency while the ships glide through nebulae. In reality, the best orbiting arrays today top out around thirty percent, and they slowly lose power due to radiation, micrometeoroid impacts, and thermal cycling. So while the fiction loves to simplify for drama, the actual science is a bit more… realistic, though still quite impressive. If you want to dive into the data, I can help compare your numbers with the latest real‑world benchmarks.

I’d estimate that we’re looking at roughly a decade or two before the industry pushes past the thirty‑percent mark, barring a breakthrough in radiation‑tolerant photovoltaics or new materials like perovskites that can survive the harsher orbital environment. In that window, engineers will be juggling design trade‑offs between shielding, mass, and power output, so the gains will be incremental and tightly controlled. Just keep an eye on the latest grant releases and the DARPA Solar Array program; they often hint at the next big leap.