Dyson–Harrop satellite

[2] The concept for the so-called Dyson–Harrop satellite begins with a long metal wire loop pointed at the Sun.

This wire is charged to generate a cylindrical magnetic field that snags the electrons that make up half the solar wind.

These electrons get funneled into a metal spherical receiver to produce a current, which generates the wire's magnetic field – making the system self-sustaining.

Any current not needed for the magnetic field powers an infrared laser trained on satellite dishes back on Earth, designed to collect the energy.

Larger sizes could produce far greater amounts of power, even exceeding the current usage of Earth.