What if the sun never set? Japan’s OHISAMA project is exploring that possibility. Thanks to a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, this project aims to capture solar energy 24/7 and beam it to Earth, essentially delivering continuous sun power.The potentially transformative implications of launching the first orbital solar power plant have sparked discussions across the renewable energy community. Could it be the next step to generating clean baseload energy for the world? In this blog, we look at OHISAMA and its theoretical applications.Download our 2025 Trends Report to unlock essential insights on the renewables industry. With data from our survey and solar simulations on RatedPower, it’s your go-to resource for understanding trends, challenges, and design strategies.What is the OHISAMA program? The OHISAMA program is designed to test whether harnessing solar power from space is technically feasible. The plan is to launch a 180-kilogram satellite equipped with PV panels into orbit 400 kilometers above Earth, where it will constantly receive sunlight and turn it into electricity.Instead of sending the electricity directly to Earth (which would be difficult over long distances), the satellite will convert it into microwaves and then beam it down 40-kilometer to a ground station. The ground station will then convert the microwaves back into usable electricity.Despite its modest 1 kW/hour output (just enough to power one standard dishwasher cycle), this demo will be instrumental in testing whether space-based solar systems are viable. Notably, the system will transfer energy to Earth in just 5 minutes but could require several days to recharge.OHISAMA researchers have successfully tested wireless solar power transmission on the ground and are now advancing to aircraft-based tests. These tests will use PV panels with the same specifications as the satellite’s and aim to wirelessly transmit energy over distances of 5 to 7 kilometers, mimicking the eventual space-to-ground