Meta has signed an agreement to secure up to 1 gigawatt of electricity from a planned space-based solar power system by the end of the decade. The deal with startup Overview Energy is for power beamed to Earth for its data centers, not for orbital data centers, as the company seeks reliable energy for its soaring AI demands. Meta also announced a partnership with Noon Energy for over 100 hours of long-duration storage, beginning with a pilot project in 2028.
Meta is looking to space for power as artificial intelligence drives major electricity demand. The company signed an agreement with Virginia-based Overview Energy to secure up to 1 gigawatt from a space-based solar system.
This partnership aims to generate power in space and beam it to Earth for data center use. The announcement follows SpaceX warning in a pre-IPO filing that orbital AI computing may lack commercial viability.
The power would be collected from geosynchronous orbit and transmitted to ground facilities. Meta’s deal is structured around technology milestones, giving it preferential access to future capacity.
A Meta spokesperson stated, “We’re always looking at new and innovative ways to provide reliable energy to our data centers and add new generation to the grid.” They added that space-based solar can deliver continuous, carbon-free power directed where needed.
Meta also announced a deal with Noon Energy for more than 100 hours of energy storage. An initial 25-megawatt pilot is planned for 2028 before scaling to the full target.
The company has backed over 30 gigawatts of new energy projects across 28 states. These include wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal generation.
Space-based solar has been proposed to avoid terrestrial solar limitations like weather and nighttime. The concept remains unproven commercially, with questions about launch costs and economics.
The spokesperson noted, “This partnership with Overview Energy is about backing a technology that could deliver reliable power from orbit and boost the output of solar facilities on Earth.” Meta stated it is providing the project certainty needed for development.
