Originally Posted by
Ascend Charlie
So, if a solar array, of the same size as a receiver antenna for microwaves, is over 10 times more efficient than the microwaves, why bother?
The space-based system can have the generating satellite positioned so that it never falls into shadow and therefore sends power to Earth at all times. Energy price varies massively throughout the day and you make way more money selling at peak times. If you pair up the ground stations such that they are separated in longitude one satellite can switch from station A to Station B ensuring it is supplying the very highest demand areas and therefore selling it's energy at maximum price nearly 18 hours a day. A solar array has a much greater peak production but it tends to produce this at times when there isn't a high demand.