> A satellite in sun-synchronous orbit would have approximately 3-5X more energy generation than a terrestrial solar panel in the arctic.

Building 3-5x more solar plants in the Arctic, would still be cheaper than travelling to space. And that's ignoring that there are other, more efficient plants possible. Even just building a long powerline around the globe to fetch it from warmer regions would be cheaper.

> Building 3-5x more solar plants in the Arctic, would still be cheaper than travelling to space.

Well first you have to make solar panels works in the polar nights, in winter they have a few minutes of sun in the day at most.

Sunlight is unevenly distributed in the arctic during the year to say the least.