Lannie the space tether idee has been around a while, as have actually space power beams, they've been talked about in space communities since about the time when I worked there in early to mid 2000'. The main problem with the tether is the material used for the tether, we don't know of any material that can take the huge tensive forces which would appear in the middle of the tether, it would break even with nothing attached to the ends, due to its own mass in the ends exceeding its tensile strength in the middle. It isn't impossible, but no known material other than maybe the silk of spider webs has the kind of quality needed. We still have a way to go to catch up with nature there :)

But I hope Jamie keeps up enthusiasm for looking things out all the same.

On beams, the progress being made by ground based solar and the difference between positive and negative energy is being deliberately obfuscated by all of the talk of net-zero and "Renewables" because of the economic consequences, elites hate the idea of empowering people by issue of free money truly reflecting the positive Joules put to use, but it has to happen, the forces of nature and positive energy driving it are larger than they can imagine.

Your idea of the space windmill still stands as something truly unique and original I think, it would be worth doing even just as an artform, imho, "The Lanniemill" :)

You could even get funding for it in a new Kardashev Economy... :)