The startup plans to use large solar arrays in geosynchronous orbit ' about 22,000 miles above Earth where satellites match the planet's rotation ' to harvest sunlight. It will then use infrared lasers to transmit that power to utility-scale solar farms on Earth, allowing them to send power to the grid nearly round the clock. Overview has raised $20 million to date, and part of that money has gone toward an airborne demonstration of its power-beaming technology. A light aircraft transmitted power using a laser to a ground receiver over a distance of 5 kilometers (3 miles). There are still several hurdles to overcome: For one, it's still significantly cheaper to deploy solar panels here on Earth than to send them into space. And the ability to send power wirelessly from orbit down to our planet's surface is still in its infancy. Other companies are attempting the same feat. Aetherflux is also pursuing a laser-based approach. Others like Emrod and Orbital Composites/Virtus Solis are...
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