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Overview Energy Project Timeline
Key projected milestones for the implementation of space-based power transmission.
Primary Sources
Meta inks deal for solar power at night, beamed from space
The race to secure electricity for AI models has reached new heights: Meta has signed an agreement with the startup Overview Energy that could see a thousand satellites beam infrared light to solar farms that power data centers at night. In 2024, Meta’s data centers used more than 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity—roughly enough to power more than 1.7 million American homes for a year—and its need for compute power is only increasing. The company has committed to building 30 gigawatts of renewable power sources, with a focus on industrial-scale solar power plants. Typically, data centers turning to solar power must either invest in battery storage or rely on other generation sources to operate at night. Overview, a four-year-old, Ashburn, Virginia, outfit that emerged from stealth in December, has a different solution: The company is developing spacecraft that collect plentiful solar power in space. It then plans to convert that energy to near-infrared light and beam it at sufficiently large solar farms—on the order of hundreds of megawatts—which can convert that light to electricity. By using a wide, infrared beam to power existing terrestrial solar infrastructure, Overview thinks it can sidestep the technological challenges and safety and regulatory issues that bedevil plans to transmit power to Earth through high-power lasers or microwave beams. CEO Marc Berte says you’ll be able to stare right into his satellite’s beam with no ill effects. The technology would increase the return on investment from building solar farms and reduce reliance on fossil fuels — if it can be deployed at scale. Overview says it has already demonstrated power transmission to the ground from an aircraft, and is planning to launch a satellite to low Earth orbit in January 2028 to perform its first power transmission from space. Techcrunch event San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 In today’s announcement, Meta said it signed the first capacity reservation agreement with Overview to receive up to 1 gigawatt of power from the company’s spacecraft, although it’s not clear if any money changed hands. Overview developed a new metric for this contract, megawatt photons, which is the amount of light required to generate a megawatt of electricity. Berte expects to begin launching the satellites that would fulfill that commitment in 2030, with a goal of flying 1,000 spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit, a high orbit in which each satellite remains fixed above the same point...
Meta signs deal for 24x7 solar power beamed from space - NewsBytes
The first orbital demonstration of Overview Energy's system is expected in 2028 Apr 27, 2026 05:24 pm What's the storyMeta Platforms has signed a groundbreaking agreement with Overview Energy, a start-up focused on space-based solar power. The deal will see Meta tap into Overview's innovative solar energy system for its data centers by the end of this decade. The technology involves collecting solar energy in space and beaming it down to ground facilities for round-the-clock power generation. Project timeline First orbital demonstration in 2028 The first orbital demonstration of Overview Energy's system is expected in 2028, with commercial power delivery slated for 2030. The deal gives Meta early access to as much as one gigawatt of capacity from this innovative system. However, the financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed yet. Sustainability efforts Meta's push for sustainable energy sources Meta has been actively securing long-term energy supply deals amid the growing demand for AI and data centers. The company is also investing in energy sources, including nuclear power. This deal with Overview Energy is another step in Meta's journey toward a sustainable future, as it looks to reduce its carbon footprint and reliance on fossil fuels. Tech innovation Overview Energy's innovative solar power technology Overview Energy's space-based solar power technology involves collecting abundant solar energy in space and converting it into near-infrared light. This light is then beamed to large solar farms on Earth, which can convert it back into electricity. The company hopes this method will overcome the technical challenges and safety concerns associated with sending power to Earth via high-power lasers or microwave beams. Future prospects Overview Energy's ambitious satellite deployment plan Overview Energy has already demonstrated power transmission from an aircraft. The company hopes to deploy 1,000 satellites by 2030, each capable of providing power from space for over a decade. This fleet will cover about a third of the planet, boosting electrical generation for customer solar farms during evening and night hours.
Meta says it signed a deal with Overview Energy for 1GW of space ...
2 hours ago ... Meta says it signed a deal with Overview Energy for 1GW of space solar energy; the startup seeks to collect sunlight in satellites, with a demonstration...
Meta looks to space solar power to fuel its growing AI data centers
2 hours ago ... Meta says this could allow solar farms that sit idle at night to generate power around the clock. Since the system uses existing solar farms, the company says ...
