Imagine a view from space, with the earth circling the sun in its annual cycle. Now imagine a tether from the earth to a giant object that is pulled along behind the earth. Then, another object is tethered between the earth and the first, then another, etc. A long string of objects dangles behind the earth, trailing it in its annual trek around the sun.
So how about these objects are giant solar panels collecting energy from the sun and transmitting it along the tether back to earth. Lots of energy without taking up precious land space, and without obstructing our sky view. Just have to hope no asteroids break the tether.. Although they could have some kind of embedded backup propulsion to maintain trajectory for exigent circumstances. And robotic repair bots could be on standby on the tethers to fix things on demand.
Additional giant panels can be added to the tether as investments in the system are made. I like it.
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