{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1703843,
        "msgid": "meta-to-harness-space-based-solar-power-for-data-centres-1777294324",
        "date": "2026-04-27 19:17:18",
        "title": "Meta to Harness Space-Based Solar Power for Data Centres",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Energy",
        "summary": "Meta has signed an agreement with startup Overview Energy to utilise space-based solar power, transmitting infrared light from satellites to ground-based solar farms to power its data centres, particularly during nighttime operations. This innovative approach addresses the massive energy demands of AI computing, with Meta consuming over 18,000 gigawatt-hours in 2024 alone, equivalent to powering 1.7 million US homes. The deal reserves up to 1 gigawatt of capacity, with initial satellite launches planned for 2030, potentially covering a third of the planet and offering a sustainable alternative to battery storage.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta (ANTARA) - Technology company Meta will utilise solar power\nfrom outer space to supply energy to its data centres at night. Meta is\nfulfilling this by signing an agreement with a startup company named\nOverview Energy, which allows thousands of the startup\u2019s satellites to\nbeam infrared light to solar farms powering Meta\u2019s data centres.\nAccording to TechCrunch reports on Monday, Meta\u2019s data centres require\nsignificant power to run competitive computing in this era of artificial\nintelligence. In 2024 alone, the company used more than 18,000\ngigawatt-hours of electricity\u2014roughly enough to supply electricity to\nmore than 1.7 million homes in America for a year. Generally, data\ncentres switching to solar power must invest in battery storage or rely\non other power generation sources to operate at night. However, Overview\noffers an alternative solution. The four-year-old startup based in\nVirginia is developing spacecraft that collect abundant solar energy in\nspace. By using broad infrared beams to power existing terrestrial solar\ninfrastructure, Overview believes it can avoid technological challenges\nas well as security and regulatory issues that hinder plans to beam\npower directly to Earth. Overview CEO Marc Berte even claims that people\ncan look directly at the satellite beams without negative implications.\nOverview states that it has demonstrated power transmission to Earth\nfrom an aircraft and plans to launch satellites into low Earth orbit in\nJanuary 2028 for its first space-based power transmission. In its latest\nannouncement, Meta said it has signed the first capacity reservation\nagreement with Overview to receive up to 1 gigawatt of power from the\ncompany\u2019s spacecraft. Berte estimates that satellites will begin\nlaunching to fulfil this commitment in 2030, with the goal of flying\n1,000 spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit, a high orbit where each\nsatellite remains above the same point on Earth. He estimates that each\nof the company\u2019s spacecraft will provide space-based power for more than\n10 years. Once in space, Berte said the fleet of spacecraft will be able\nto cover about a third of the planet, with initial deployment reaching\nfrom the US West Coast to Western Europe.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/meta-to-harness-space-based-solar-power-for-data-centres-1777294324",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}