Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and IGI Corporation are the two companies partnering with the Japanese government on the space initiative.  A solar panel will float around in space and absorb about a gigawatt of energy.  After collecting the energy, it will be beamed back to Earth.  Japan hopes to have it ready within the next 4 years.

“It sounds like a science-fiction cartoon, but solar power generation in space may be a significant alternative energy source in the century ahead as fossil fuel disappears,” stated Institute of Energy Economics managing director Kensuke Kanekiyo in an interview with Bloomberg.

The solar station will be about 36,000 kilometers (22,369 miles) above the Earth’s surface.  Kudos to the Japanese for trying out some interesting ideas.