California Approves Orbiting Solar Panel Deal, Aims For 2016 Launch

Remember Solaren, the company that’s trying to launch those space-based solar panels, the one that signed a deal with California’s biggest power utility company? The whole plan got even closer to reality today, after getting approval from California legislators.

And, like we said, there’s no reason Californians would reject the deal between Solaren and PG&E—the utility company isn’t investing or putting up any money at all, it’s just saying “sure, we’ll buy energy from you if and when this thing ever works.” Which, you know, duh. The 15-year contract starts in 2016, by which time hopefully we won’t have already devolved into a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic desert state. [CPUC via CNET]