U.S. Navy wants a satellite to beam solar energy down to earth

Imagine being able to capture solar power in the vastness and emptiness of space itself, before you send it down to the earth for humanity to consume. After all, it is not as though the world’s oil reserves are unlimited – no sir, we have been making effort to ensure that the world’s energy consumption is as efficient as possible, but this latest idea from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory might just be feasible.

For decades, the Pentagon has been the world’s largest oil consumer, and as global petroleum prices continue to rise, the military has been searching for feasible energy alternatives. Now they’re looking in space. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is building technology that will allow the military to capture solar power in orbit and project it back down to Earth. Not only would space solar potentially save the Pentagon buckets of cash, but it could simplify military deployments. Fuel tankers would no longer have to reach remote or volatile areas, and missions could run longer without having to return to base to refuel.