Solar power is quite possibly the energy source of the future, and in the technology’s most futuristic breakthrough yet, scientists have just figured out how to beam solar power from outer space to Earth for the first time. The advantages of beaming solar power from space instead of simply collecting it with solar panels here on Earth, the way we currently do, are vast. On Earth, solar energy can be harvested only when the sun is shining, i.e., during the daytime and when there aren’t too many clouds. In some places, that renders solar panels fairly ineffective.