[ClumsyPilot]

"I've seen estimates that a panel in space around Earth can generate ~7 times the power it can on Earth"

Contrast it with the fact that that panel is 1,000x more expensive, and thats a net loss. We are constrained by capital cost, not lack of sunlight or anything else.

Also consider transmission losses, orbital solar collectors must convert that power into microwaves, which are made of photons, then they must be converted back into electrons on earth. That inefficiency is compounded by atmospheric water absorbing microwaves. (you are heating clouds) You have destroyed that 7x advantage.

If you can place a panel in orbit and deliver power to Earth, then you can put a million panels in Sahara Desert and relay that power anywhere on Earth. Solar panels are made of sand, we are not short on sand. If we covered 1% of uninhabitable deserts in panels, thay would produce more power than we could use, and it would be reliable.