Meta is planning to power its AI data centers with solar energy beamed from space. If it works, solar farms could produce power 24/7 without…

Meta is planning to power its AI data centers with solar energy beamed from space. If it works, solar farms could produce power 24/7 without batteries or backup generators. The company behind it all is Overview Energy -- they want to launch 1,000 satellites into orbit, 22,000 miles above the equator, where sunlight is constant. For context, Meta's data centers used over 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity last year. Enough to power 1.7 million American homes for a year. Each satellite collects solar energy, converts it into a wide beam of near-infrared light, and aims it at existing solar farms on the ground. The farms convert the light into electricity, just like they do with sunlight. Unlike high-power lasers or microwave beams, this infrared light is safe enough to stare directly into. Solar farms normally sit idle at night, so this system fixes that... from space. Really fascinating tech. Media

Source: Rowan Cheung (X) | 2026-05-04