Energy From Space? That is NOT Local!

The Wall Street Journal carried a story today describing how Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is now trying to convince state regulators for permission to sign a contract to get power from a space-based solar power system. Proponents of space-based solar power, which gets beamed to earth with microwaves, acknowledge that launch costs could be an issue but tout the benefits of it being 24/7 baseload power. Unless the microwave goes off track and smokes a city or something....

Honestly, I can't tell who is the dumbest one here -- the company that is designing the system, or PG&E, or the Wall Street Journal for carrying the story with a straight face. But if regulators allow this to go forward, it'll be the ratepayers that get smoked for sure.