Meta Signs Agreement with Overview Energy for Space-Based Solar Power

Meta has signed a capacity reservation agreement with Overview Energy, a startup developing space-based solar power technology. The agreement allows Meta to receive up to 1 gigawatt of power from Overview's satellites, which would beam infrared light to ground-based solar farms.

Overview introduced a metric called megawatt photons for this contract, representing the light needed to generate a megawatt of electricity. In 2024, Meta's data centers consumed more than 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to powering over 1.7 million American homes for a year.

The company has committed to developing 30 gigawatts of renewable power sources, focusing on industrial-scale solar plants. Traditional solar setups require battery storage or alternative sources for nighttime operation.

Overview Energy, based in Ashburn, Virginia, emerged from stealth in December. The company is working on spacecraft that collect solar power in space and convert it to near-infrared light. This light would be beamed to large solar farms, on the order of hundreds of megawatts, to generate electricity.

The approach uses a wide infrared beam compatible with existing solar infrastructure. Overview stated that this method avoids technological challenges and regulatory issues associated with high-power lasers or microwave beams. CEO Marc Berte said the beam would be safe enough to look into directly without ill effects.

Deployment Overview has demonstrated power transmission from an aircraft to the ground. The company plans to launch a satellite to low Earth orbit in January 2028 for its first space-based transmission. By 2030, Overview aims to deploy 1,000 spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit, each providing power for more than 10 years.

The fleet would cover about a third of the planet, from the West Coast of the United States to Western Europe. Satellites would remain fixed above specific points on Earth, delivering power to solar farms during evening and night hours as the planet rotates.

Berte stated that this combines generation and transmission, allowing flexibility across energy markets.

“There’s a big difference between being in any one energy market, and being in all of the energy markets.”

The technology could increase returns on solar farm investments and reduce fossil fuel reliance if scaled successfully. It is not clear if any payment was made in the agreement with Meta. Overview sees potential in powering data centers for AI models, where electricity demand is growing.