The Moscow Radiotechnical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences has registered a patent for a system of transmitting energy from an orbiting solar power plant down to the surface of the Earth, according to data on the website of Russia's Federal intellectual property service. EDNews reports citing Sputnik.

According to the document, Russian scientists have suggested deploying a solar power plant at an altitude of between 300 to 1000 kilometers and, when transiting a surface receptor, transmit electrical energy to the Earth using microwaves.

Energy transmission to the Earth from space can: 1. Ensure the transfer of energy directly to the areas of its consumption and, first of all, to hard-to-reach and high-latitude areas without the organization of long-distance ground power lines. 2. Reduce the use of hydrocarbon fuels, the production and combustion of which have a harmful effect on the biosphere", the explanation for the patent noted.

The document specifies a similar 1971 American patent, in which the creation of an orbital solar power plant was put forward.

At the time, a power plant was proposed to be placed in a geostationary orbit, with an approximate height of 36,000 kilometers, which would allow it to remain above the same area of the Earth's surface and ensure a constant transfer of energy.

In this particular case, however, the receiving station must be located at the planet's equator. The Russian proposal is reportedly more flexible and enables the transfer of energy to remote regions of the planet.

In 2018, First Deputy General Director of Russia's Shvabe holding, Sergey Popov, said that Russian scientists were developing an orbital laser with a mirror-repeater that would transmit energy to those parts of the planet where it is impossible or extremely difficult to build power plants, including the Arctic.