Is it time to put a dimmer switch on the push for space solar power?

Tiny satellites, one out of frame on the bottom left, one on the right with giant twin solar panels, beam blue dotted lines down to a shadowed earth. The sun shines smaller in the top left distance.

The thought of beaming power to an energy-hungry Earth from space has long been studied. It was first proposed over 80 years ago in science fiction. 

"It was quiet in the officer's room of Solar Station #5 - except for the soft purring of the mighty Beam Director somewhere far below," wrote renowned author Isaac Asimov in his April 1941 story "Reason" appearing in the magazine "Astounding Science Fiction."