Space-based solar power/Microwave plants

[St Rhenium]

Do you think there is a future for the 'sci-fi' technology of space-based solar power? Up to 60% of the sun's radiation is lost in the atmosphere before it hits the ground, and thus earth-based solar panels, so we're losing out on a lot. Combine this with the fact we have night time on Earth, and we really are losing out. Once concept is for a giant orbiting solar power station, which would beam energy down to Earth in the form of a giant laser or microwave energy. It would be extremely expensive to produce, although arguably not as expensive as the research hoping to lead to nuclear fusion. Do you think it is a technology worth pursuing?

[img width=250 height=163]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Solardisk.jpg[/img]

[JamesH]

Not in our lifetime, and if SimCity is anything to go by they can cause havoc when the microwave signal does not hit the disk perfectly. It would make me seriously concerned. Maybe in a few centuries but the initial investment would be in the trillions.