Orbital solar power plants beam energy from space

The International Academy of Astronautics says orbital power plants that can collect solar energy and beam it to Earth are "technically feasible" in a decade or so. The study, led by 25-year NASA veteran John Mankins, says that space solar power is possible, so long as governments worldwide lend billions of dollars to fund the necessary research and development. The environmental and economic sustainability of the technology is projected to offer a substantial payoff, given the world's increasing need for fossil fuels and the dwindling oil supply. Solar power collected from the orbital power plants could be targetted to beam anywhere in the world, not only giving it flexibility in its usage, but also providing an impetus for global cooperation in funding its development.