Solar power at night: Startup plans to sell beamed sunlight using space mirrors [Video]

Highly anticipated: A California startup has come up with an innovative idea to supercharge solar farms – by bouncing sunlight onto them from space after the Sun goes down. Reflect Orbital plans to launch a constellation of mini satellites equipped with large reflective mirrors that can beam concentrated rays of sunlight to Earth whenever needed.

The company’s founder and CEO, Ben Nowack, recently outlined the ambitious plan at a space energy conference in London. His vision involves a network of 57 small satellites in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, approximately 370 miles above Earth.

Each satellite would be relatively small, weighing just 35 pounds. However, once in orbit, they would deploy a large 33- x 33-foot mirrored sail made of insulating plastic called mylar. The satellites could then steer and focus their reflected light beams to provide solar farm operators …