A modest Gigawatt-range microwave system, comparable to a large commercial power plant, would require launching some 80,000 tons of material to orbit, making the cost of energy from such a system vastly more expensive than even present-day renewable energy.
Jednostavni sistem sa gigavatnim rasponom mikrovalova, u usporedbi s velikim komercijalnim elektranama, zahtijevao bi lansiranje 80.000 tona materijala u orbitu, čime bi trošak energije takvog sustava bio znatno skuplji od današnje obnovljive energije.