The UK government’s business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has announced £3 million in grant funding for pioneering new space technologies that will help to cut carbon emissions.

The funds will be made available for space-based solar power (SBSP) projects which collect the sun’s energy using solar panels orbiting the Earth – projects which can reportedly deliver clean energy, day and night, unaffected by the weather.

Funding will also be made available for “cutting-edge” weather monitoring sensors to aid in more accurate weather forecasts. The sensors will be put into orbit for the first time, thanks to a partnership with data and analytics company Spire Global, the UK government said.

The Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HYMS), developed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space, is one example of a weather-monitoring sensor.

The HYMS will help meteorological agencies and businesses around the world involved with planning, shipping and flood warnings and is four times as powerful as the sensors used on existing satellites.

Commenting on the funding, Kwarteng said: “Space-based solar power could provide an affordable, clean and reliable source of energy for the whole world to benefit from, helping the move away from expensive fossil fuels.

“Today’s investment is an exciting example of how we can go even further in our ambitions to make the UK a science superpower.”

He added: “These projects are major milestones for our National Space Strategy, developing the UK’s space capabilities while boosting the economy and delivering high-skill jobs.”

The announcement comes after the government said it would spend £273 million on aerospace technology including solar-powered aircraft and NHS treatment carrying drones.

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