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Mitsubishi and IHI are joining a research group containing 14 other countries to tackle the daunting task of getting Japan’s four square kilometer solar space station up and running in the next three decades. By 2015, the Japanese government hopes to test a small satellite decked out with solar panels that beams power through space and back to Earth.

There are still a number of hurdles to work through before space-based solar power becomes a reality though. Transportation of the solar panels into space is too expensive at the moment to be commercially viable, so Japan has to figure out a way to lower costs. Even if costs are lowered, solar stations will have to worry about damage from micrometeoroids and other flying objects. Still, space-based solar operates perfectly under all weather conditions, unlike Earth-based panels that are at the mercy of the clouds.

By directly transmitting a weak beam of energy in the form of microwaves, this innovative system can power handheld devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers and digital cameras. Mitsubishi Electric is developing prototypes that convert the microwaves into electricity inside such devices so they can be used without batteries. This will also make possible a variety of new services such as traffic safety systems and emergency equipment that can help save lives.

Conventional power supplies will still be around in the future, but power transmitted directly from space will also be playing an important role, inside and outside the home.

Japan isn’t the only country in the race for space power. Solaren and California’s Pacific Gas and Electric utility are working together on a project to deliver 200 megawatts of power from space over a 15-year period that begins in 2015.