Meta’s Bold Leap: Harnessing Space-Based Solar Power for Data Centers
In a groundbreaking move to meet the escalating energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI), Meta has entered into a strategic partnership with Overview Energy, a pioneering startup specializing in space-based solar power. This collaboration aims to deploy a constellation of satellites that will beam infrared light to terrestrial solar farms, enabling Meta’s data centers to operate efficiently during nighttime hours.
The Growing Energy Appetite of AI
As AI technologies advance, the computational power required to support them has surged dramatically. In 2024, Meta’s data centers consumed over 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity, an amount sufficient to power more than 1.7 million American homes for a year. To address this substantial energy requirement, Meta has committed to developing 30 gigawatts of renewable energy sources, with a significant emphasis on large-scale solar power installations.
Challenges of Solar Energy for Data Centers
While solar energy offers a sustainable solution, its intermittent nature poses challenges for continuous operations, particularly during nighttime. Traditionally, data centers have relied on battery storage systems or alternative energy sources to maintain operations when solar power is unavailable. However, these solutions can be costly and may not fully align with sustainability goals.
Overview Energy’s Innovative Approach
Overview Energy, a Virginia-based startup that emerged from stealth mode in December 2025, proposes an innovative solution to this challenge. The company is developing spacecraft designed to harvest abundant solar energy in space. This energy will be converted into near-infrared light and transmitted to large-scale solar farms on Earth, which can then convert the light back into electricity.
By utilizing a broad, low-intensity infrared beam, Overview Energy aims to mitigate the technological and regulatory hurdles associated with high-power lasers or microwave energy transmission. According to CEO Marc Berte, the beam is safe enough that one could look directly into it without adverse effects.
Demonstrating Feasibility
Overview Energy has already conducted successful demonstrations of power transmission from an aircraft to the ground. The company plans to launch its first satellite into low Earth orbit in January 2028 to perform the inaugural power transmission from space. This demonstration will be a critical step in validating the technology’s viability and scalability.
Meta’s Commitment to Space-Based Solar Power
In the recent announcement, Meta revealed that it has signed the first capacity reservation agreement with Overview Energy to receive up to 1 gigawatt of power from the company’s spacecraft. While financial details of the agreement remain undisclosed, Overview Energy introduced a new metric for this contract: megawatt photons, representing the amount of light required to generate a megawatt of electricity.
Future Prospects and Deployment
Berte anticipates commencing the deployment of the satellite fleet in 2030, with a goal of launching 1,000 spacecraft into geosynchronous orbit. In this high-altitude orbit, each satellite remains fixed above a specific point on Earth, ensuring consistent energy delivery. Each spacecraft is expected to provide power from space for over a decade.
Once operational, the satellite network will be capable of covering approximately one-third of the planet. The initial deployment will focus on regions extending from the West Coast of the United States to Western Europe. As the Earth rotates, the satellites will deliver additional light to solar farms entering evening and nighttime phases, effectively boosting their electrical generation capacity.
Strategic Implications
Berte envisions significant opportunities in combining energy generation and transmission, offering the flexibility to deliver power to solar farms wherever and whenever it is most valuable. He emphasizes the advantage of being present in multiple energy markets simultaneously, stating, There’s a big difference between being in any one energy market and being in all of the energy markets.
Conclusion
Meta’s partnership with Overview Energy represents a significant advancement in addressing the energy challenges associated with AI data centers. By harnessing space-based solar power, this collaboration has the potential to revolutionize renewable energy utilization, ensuring continuous and sustainable operations for data centers worldwide.
