Part 3: Japan's James Bond energy project

And now we arrive at Part 3, wherein nations of the world come up with hare-brained, massively expensive schemes to keep their power flowing. Japan wants to orbit solar panels in space and radiate down the generate power with microwaves, or better yet, LASER BEAMS.

I ... am ... not ... kidding.

Japan plans giant solar power station in space

"The plan is to create a miles-wide array of photovoltaic panels, like the solar panels used on Earth, and place it in a geostationary orbit."

and then

"Once collected, the solar energy would be beamed down to a substation on Earth, using laser beams or microwaves.

JAXA say that the system would be safe, although they admit that it might be hard to reassure the public over the image of huge laser beams blasting down from the sky."

Well, yes, that's true. Because when I think of this project, I proceed to think of this image from "Die Another Day":

I would think that there would have to be considerable international insurance that the laser beams from the power stations could not be aimed in such a manner as to cause immediate destruction of any of the property in neighboring countries. Face it: from "Diamonds are Forever" and "Goldeneye" to "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory", having a laser beam in space is a terrorist's wet dream, if they could get their hands on it.

Along a similar theme, laser beams in space get me dreaming of getting my hands on: