From the introduction: In the near future Earth's human population grew so rapidly that nations have begun fighting for the scarce resources left. Oil fields and natural gases are drying up, war is prevalent in the middle east. Nuclear reactors can only do so much. In an attempt to alleviate the energy crisis, the United States has launched one of Professor Candide’s greatest works. An O'neill Cylinder-type space colony named the SC-01 Providence. The space colony’s revolutionary power transfer system, the Microwave Energy Array, is harbored within its superstructure. A masterwork of engineering. The array itself is a solar energy driven generator meant to end the world's energy crisis by transferring cheap power harvested from the sun back to earth and it's construction continues to hold the hopes of a nation.