Jakarta, INTI - Meta Platforms plans to harness solar energy from space to power its data centers at night. The technology company will partner with startup Overview Energy, which is developing a system of thousands of satellites. These satellites can collect solar energy from space and beam infrared light to solar farms that power Meta's data centers at night.
Throughout 2024, Meta used more than 18,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity for its data centers. This is enough power to power more than 1.7 million homes in America for one year. As artificial intelligence (AI) booms and the need for computer power increases, the company has committed to building 30 GW of renewable power sources, focusing on industrial-scale solar power plants.
With Overview Energy's spacecraft development, Meta has an alternative to investing in solar battery storage to operate its data centers at night. Overview is building spacecraft and technology that can collect solar energy, convert it into near-infrared light, and beam it to sufficiently large solar farms that can convert that light into electricity.
Test and Launch Plans
Overview stated that it has demonstrated power transmission to the ground from an aircraft and plans to launch a satellite into low-Earth orbit in January 2028 to conduct its first power transmission from space. With Meta, the cooperation agreement they signed includes a first capacity reservation to receive up to 1 GW of power from the spacecraft.
Overview CEO Marc Berte estimates that the company will begin launching satellites in 2030 to fly 1,000 spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. Each spacecraft is expected to provide power from space for more than 10 years.
Conclusion
Meta Platforms plans to power its data centers at night with solar energy from space, in partnership with the startup Overview Energy. The technology uses satellites to collect solar energy and then beam it back to Earth in infrared radiation, which can be converted into electricity. Overview is targeting tests in low orbit in 2028 and a large-scale launch of up to 1,000 satellites in 2030.
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