Overview Energy emerged from stealth with a plan to use the world’s solar panels as nighttime collectors of power beamed down from space. While utility-scale solar projects typically operate at 25-30% capacity due to the intermittent nature of sunlight, the Virginia-based startup is developing a system designed to increase effective capacity factors to 70-80% by transmitting captured sunlight from Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) directly to existing solar infrastructure on the ground.
Extending Solar Generation Beyond Daylight Hours
Founded in 2022, Overview Energy has raised $20M to date to develop a fleet of satellites positioned in GEO, where they can capture sunlight continuously—24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These satellites transmit energy to Earth as safe, invisible, wide-beam, near-infrared light, a wavelength selected for its compatibility with proven technologies, offering high conversion efficiency alongside passive safety characteristics suited to utility-scale delivery.
What distinguishes Overview’s approach is its integration with infrastructure that already exists. Rather than requiring expensive new transmission lines or ground stations, the system uses existing utility-scale solar projects as receivers. By directing supplemental light to these facilities, solar projects can maintain generation through the night, transforming intermittent assets into round-the-clock resources.
Directability: Routing Energy Where It’s Needed
The system’s core advantage lies in what the company calls “directability.” Because each satellite in geostationary orbit can observe roughly one-third of Earth’s surface, it can redirect energy precisely where it is most valuable at any given moment. If renewable energy is being curtailed in one region, that capacity can be rerouted to support data centers or nighttime grid demand thousands of miles away. This capability decouples electricity supply from both location and timing, allowing energy-intensive facilities to self-power without adding strain to congested transmission networks. It also compresses “time to power,” making incremental capacity available within days at sites with existing solar installations.
Flight-Validated Progress
Overview Energy’s recent airborne demonstration marked an important technical milestone. The company transmitted power from an aircraft in motion to a ground receiver approximately five kilometers below, using the same optics chain and lasers planned for orbital operations. The test validated that the core transmission system can function while in motion.
For its roadmap, Overview Energy is targeting a 2028 demonstration mission in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), followed by commercial energy transmission from GEO in 2030. The company plans to deploy satellite clusters capable of serving multiple continents, with power delivery adjusted dynamically in response to shifting demand patterns. Overview Energy’s approach offers a pathway to transform solar power from an intermittent resource into continuous clean energy, available wherever solar infrastructure exist.
Image credit: Overview Energy
References
Overview Energy https://www.overviewenergy.com/
Overview Energy Emerges From Stealth. https://payloadspace.com/overview-energy-emerges-from-stealth/
Overview Energy exits stealth with world’s first airborne power-beaming demonstration for space solar energy https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/overview-energy-exits-stealth-with-worlds-first-airborne-power-beaming-demonstration-for-space-solar-energy-302637459.html/
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power. https://www.copernical.com/news-public/item/55386-2025-12-11-08-55-18/
Overview Energy wants to beam energy from space to existing solar farms. https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/10/overview-energy-wants-to-beam-energy-from-space-to-existing-solar-farms/