[chrisser]

"Half the planet is bathed in solar radiation. Why do we need a satellite to collect it? "

I'm certainly not an expert, but I would assume that much of the incoming solar energy is either absorbed or reflected by the atmosphere, not to mention the consideration of cloudcover.

Put high enough and in the correct orbit, a satellite would be bathed in sunlight constantly, rather than being affected by the day/night cycle.

Not sure which of the above is more signficant, and it will be very interesting to see how the transmission of energy is accomplished, as well as the possibilities of this device being used intentionally or otherwise as a weapon.

[rightwingcrazy]

“the possibilities of this device being used intentionally or otherwise as a weapon.”

Hm, kind of like a giant magnifying glass on a bunch of ants.

The major advantage of a satellite over a large solar array in a desert that I can think of would be to avoid red-tape associated with environmental impact studies. But even there, I’d expect problems.