Overview Energy uses near-infrared lasers to transmit space-based electricity to existing solar panels, aiming to free power generation from day-night restrictions, though climate and efficiency remain to be validated.
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Table of Contents

• Near-infrared experiments at 5 kilometers altitude
• Laser routing and cost strategy
• Weather limitations and technical risks
• Next stop: space and market validation

A Cessna Caravan aircraft ascended to 15,000 feet in November this year, projecting invisible near-infrared laser beams onto ground-based solar panels, instantly illuminating the power readings on the dashboard. This experiment, conducted by the startup Overview Energy, demonstrates that directly sending “sunlight in the sky” into the existing grid is no longer just a laboratory paper but a business plan that venture capitalists may support.

Near-infrared experiments at 5 kilometers altitude

Overview Energy’s test was conducted over the southwestern deserts of the United States. The aircraft circled continuously, with the laser beam passing through thin clouds and still hitting commercial polycrystalline silicon panels on the ground, delivering “several kilowatts” of power. According to Solar Daily, this marks the first time that wireless power transmission from long-term space solar focus has been realized with usable power on the ground.

Overview Energy explained that the next step is to move the transmission source to low Earth orbit satellites, allowing the same laser to supply power to ground solar panels even at night.

!Screenshot 2025-12-13 1:16:22 PM | Tech and Trend - Most Influential Blockchain News Media

Image source: Overview Energy

Laser routing and cost strategy

Compared to mainstream microwave solutions requiring several square kilometers of rectenna, Overview Energy’s biggest advantage is that “ground-based solar receivers do not need to be rebuilt.”

The laser wavelength is close to sunlight, allowing standard silicon substrates to directly absorb it. The company estimates that existing solar arrays with a capacity of hundreds of gigawatts worldwide could, after connecting to lasers, complement daytime sunlight and nighttime laser power, potentially increasing unit capital utilization from about 25% to nearly 100%.

This approach has attracted seed funding of $20 million from EQT Foundation and Lowercarbon Capital, as it focuses spending on space-based transmission and launch costs, avoiding heavy land and infrastructure expenses.

!Screenshot 2025-12-13 1:19:46 PM | Tech and Trend - Most Influential Blockchain News Media

Overview Energy

Weather limitations and technical risks

However, near-infrared transmission sharply declines when encountering thick clouds or heavy rain, with efficiency potentially dropping to zero. This reintroduces climate-related shutdown risks to a technology originally designed to address solar intermittency.

Additionally, the publicly available data from Overview Energy so far only mentions “several kilowatts” of instantaneous output. End-to-end efficiency, beam jitter control in turbulence, and high-frequency safety shutdown mechanisms remain unaddressed. For a startup planning to launch low-Earth orbit satellites by 2028 and begin commercial power supply by 2030, these physical and engineering challenges will directly impact capital needs and mass production schedules.

Next stop: space and market validation

U.S. government agencies are also observing feasibility. DARPA completed an 8.5 km ground-to-space laser transmission demonstration this summer, showing military and civilian dual-use potential. Meanwhile, China is choosing to build large microwave stations in geostationary orbit at 36,000 km, moving towards large-scale national infrastructure.

The two strategies are akin to the competition between mainframes and personal computers in the internet era: pursuing continuous power supply at a single point, or breaking through with decentralized, small, and rapidly iterated optical systems? The market remains inconclusive at this stage.

But Overview Energy’s experiment proves at least one thing: space-based power generation does not have to wait for the uncertain mega-station; there are paths to integrate with ground assets. If subsequent efforts can maintain stability amidst atmospheric variability and demonstrate positive cash flow even on clear nights, each silicon wafer in the global array could be revalued.

Whether it can penetrate clouds and ease investor doubts will determine if this laser can truly open a 24-hour chapter for renewable energy markets.

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