Meta has reserved up to 1 GW of space-based solar power to support its growing AI data center energy needs in the US
Overview Energy will facilitate this through satellites that collect solar power in space and beam it to Earth as safe near-infrared light
The system aims to deliver continuous electricity without extra land use, with a demo in 2028 and commercial supply targeted for 2030
Global technology giant Meta Platforms has reserved up to 1 GW of solar power to be beamed to Earth from Overview Energy’s space solar energy system under a capacity reservation agreement. Meta says this is part of its strategy to power its AI data centers across the US.
Overview Energy, a technology startup, is developing satellites that can collect solar energy 24/7 in geosynchronous orbit. These will then beam this energy to the receivers on the ground, which will be existing and future utility-scale solar projects, in the form of safe near-infrared light that is safe for humans and invisible.
It will extend solar hours for solar installations without the need for additional land, fuel, or grid connection processes, while enabling a 24/7 electricity supply.
Overview claims its system will be able to shift power across continents in real time based on demand, without changing infrastructure on the ground. The company says it has demonstrated power beaming from a moving airborne platform.
US-based Overview plans initial orbital demonstration in 2028, aiming for commercial power delivery in 2030. With the ‘first-of-its-kind’ agreement, Meta has secured early access to this solar power to be delivered from orbit to the grid.
“Space solar technology represents a transformative step forward by leveraging existing terrestrial infrastructure to deliver new, uninterrupted energy from orbit,” said Nat Sahlstrom, VP of Energy and Sustainability, Meta. “This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to innovation – leveraging cutting-edge technology to strengthen America's energy leadership.”
Meta’s move follows its peers in the technology space, which are also looking to harness the potential of space-based solar power. Last year, in November 2025, Google announced Project Suncatcher to explore the use of solar energy to power next-generation AI systems in space. Instead of beaming the power back to Earth, it aims to create space-based machine learning data centers (see Google’s Attempt To Catch Solar Energy In Space For AI).
A recent UK government study sees small-scale space-based solar power becoming cost-competitive by 2040, making it competitive with nuclear and tidal stream technologies (see UK Study Sees Small-Scale Space-Based Solar Power Competitive By 2040).