Meta has entered a pioneering agreement with Virginia-based startup Overview Energy to obtain up to 1 gigawatt of electricity from a future space-based solar power system by the end of the decade, aiming to meet the surging energy needs of AI-driven data centers while easing pressure on the U.S. grid. Instead of placing data centers in orbit as suggested by Elon Musk, the plan is to generate solar power in space and beam it down to Earth, providing continuous, carbon-free electricity that can be directed in real time where demand is highest.
Space-based solar seeks to bypass terrestrial solar constraints such as weather, atmospheric losses, and nighttime, though the concept still faces unproven economics, launch costs, and maintenance challenges at commercial scale. Meta’s deal with Overview Energy is structured around technological milestones, giving the company preferential access to future capacity once those milestones are met, effectively offering project certainty for the startup as it scales its orbital infrastructure after demonstrating power transmission from a moving plane to a ground receiver.
The energy strategy also includes a partnership with Noon Energy for more than 100 hours of energy storage, starting with a 25-megawatt, 2.5-gigawatt-hour pilot in 2028, with an eye toward a 1 GW/100 GWh target that would complement the orbital solar supply. These initiatives build on Meta’s broader record of backing over 30 gigawatts of new energy projects across 28 U.S. states, spanning wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal sources, reflecting an effort to secure reliable, low-carbon power as AI infrastructure expands.
At the same time, skepticism persists in the sector: SpaceX has cautioned investors that orbital AI computing may not reach commercial viability, highlighting the experimental nature of such space-based approaches even as Meta positions itself as an early supporter of technologies that could “deliver reliable power from orbit and boost the output of solar facilities on Earth.”
Reference
Nelson, J. (2026, April 28). Meta turns to space-based solar energy to power AI data centers on Earth. Yahoo Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/energy/articles/meta-turns-space-based-solar-143416835.html