As artificial intelligence drives an unprecedented surge in energy consumption, Meta is turning to an ambitious and unconventional solution: harvesting solar power from space.
The tech giant has signed an agreement with emerging startup Overview Energy to explore a futuristic system that could beam energy from orbit directly to Earth.
The concept involves deploying up to 1,000 satellites capable of capturing solar energy in space and transmitting it as near-infrared light to large-scale solar farms on the ground—effectively allowing them to generate electricity even at night.
Meta’s energy appetite has been rapidly increasing. In 2024 alone, its data centers consumed over 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity—enough to power more than 1.7 million homes annually.
With AI workloads expanding, the company has committed to building 30 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, primarily through industrial-scale solar farms. However, one major limitation of solar power remains: it doesn’t work after sunset.
Overview Energy aims to solve that problem.
Instead of relying on batteries or fossil fuel backups, the company is developing spacecraft that continuously collect solar energy in orbit, where sunlight is constant.
This energy is then converted into a broad, low-intensity infrared beam and directed at terrestrial solar installations. These solar farms, equipped to absorb the infrared light, can convert it into usable electricity even in the absence of sunlight.
The company believes its approach avoids many of the safety and regulatory concerns associated with other space-based power transmission concepts, such as high-powered lasers or microwave beams. According to its leadership, the infrared beam is designed to be harmless—even safe to look at directly.
Overview has already demonstrated early success by transmitting power from an aircraft to the ground. Its next milestone is a satellite launch planned for January 2028, which will test energy transmission from low Earth orbit.
Under the agreement, Meta has reserved the capacity to receive up to one gigawatt of power from Overview’s future satellite network. While financial details remain undisclosed, the deal introduces a new measurement concept dubbed “megawatt photons,” representing the amount of light required to generate one megawatt of electricity.
Looking ahead, Overview plans to begin deploying its satellite fleet around 2030. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit, each satellite would remain fixed over a specific region, delivering consistent energy coverage.
The full network could span roughly a third of the Earth’s surface, initially covering areas from the western United States to Western Europe.
As the planet rotates and solar farms move into darkness, the orbiting satellites would supplement their output with additional energy from space—effectively extending daylight for renewable power generation.
If successfully scaled, the technology could significantly improve the efficiency of solar infrastructure while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. It also opens the door to a more flexible global energy system, where power can be delivered where and when it is needed most.
For Meta, the move underscores a broader reality: powering the future of AI may require solutions that are just as groundbreaking as the technology itself.
