The concept of satellites beaming power down to Earth is gaining traction but challenges remain
The British astronaut Tim Peake is backing the idea of solar farms in space, using satellites to capture solar energy and beam it down as microwaves to ground stations. A satellite in geostationary orbit about 36,000km (22,700 miles) above Earth could generate solar power almost all day, every day, whatever the weather, as well as collecting sunlight more intense than on the Earth’s surface.
The microwaves beamed down would be unhindered by clouds, although the beam would need to be restricted to avoid harming anything that got in the way, before being collected by large receivers that would convert the microwaves into electricity.
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