Last January, researchers from the California University of Technology (Caltech) launched a set of experiments in orbit around the Earth to test a new technology for collecting solar energy in space and transmitting it to Earth using microwaves, and they reached encouraging results, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"People now understand that this is not just science fiction," says Ali Hajimiri, an electrical engineer at Caltech and one of the leaders of the project, "Maybe there is a way to get energy from space."

The team is currently testing ultra-lightweight structures and flexible electronics that could make the idea of transferring clean solar energy from orbit to Earth a viable project.

Among the main components of the research team's project was the transmission of a device called Mabel, which was capable of generating microwaves directed from one part of the satellite to another, and was able to illuminate two light probe indicators, according to Hajimari.

The same spokesperson noted that the distance traveled was "short and does not exceed a meter, but this is the first recorded experience of energy transfer in space." The device also directed microwave beams towards the Earth, and they were picked up by detectors placed by the team on the ground.

The California Tech team is trying to speed up its research by testing a number of lower-cost technologies in its project, which is funded by American billionaire and real estate developer Donald Breen, chairman and owner of Irvine, who was inspired many years ago by reading science fiction. Fiction about the utilization of solar energy in space, and brought him to support the research.

"I dream of using solar energy in space to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity," Brin said in press statements, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.