NEW YORK (AP) _ The Soviet Union is planning to build huge satellites that would convert sunlight into electricity for use on Earth and would reflect sunlight for lighting at night, according to a report published Sunday.

The New York Times reported that the giant new rocket developed by the Soviets would be used to lift the satellite components into orbit.

″The ultimate goal is to beam energy back to earth″ for conversion into electricity, said Nicholas L. Johnson, an expert on Soviet space programs at Teledyne Brown Engineering in Colorado Springs, Colo. ″They also talk about using reflectors in space to light cities and farms.″

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Guri I. Marchuk, head of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and other Soviet officials recently have hailed the goal of solar power satellites.

″Power is a prerequisite for anything you do in space,″ said Peter E. Glaser, vice president of Arthur D. Little Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., and a pioneer of the solar-power satellite idea.

″Proceeding with solar power satellites will give them a number of options. They’re planning all kinds of moves, years ahead of us.″

The plan has several stages, according to western experts, the Times reported.

First would come space-based solar reflectors to bounce sunlight to Earth for lighting at night. Next would be construction of huge satellites that turn sunlight into energy. The third step would be constructing antennas on the ground to receive energy and turn it into electricity.

William R. Graham, President Reagan’s science adviser, told the Times that the plan may not be entirely peaceful.

″There’s no strong division in their large projects between the civilians and the military,″ said ″A substantial power capability in space is something they could put to many uses.″

Following a May 15 launching of the new Soviet rocket Energia, Marchuk told Tass, the official news agency, that it would permit ″the placement of experimental solar power plants in orbit.″