A Dyson Sphere is a theoretical structure built around a star to tap all of its energy. It’s pure science fiction. But our Big Tech overlords seem determined to build a Dollar-Store Dyson Sphere around Earth, surrounding it with enough orbiting solar panels and data centers to blot out the stars.
In theory, a Dyson Sphere is evidence of a highly advanced civilization. In our reality, the Dollar-Store Dyson Sphere suggests our civilization might be making too many expensive, complicated solutions for problems that don’t really exist.
Meta Platforms recently announced a deal with Virginia-based startup Overview Energy to someday buy up to 1 gigawatt of power generated by Overview’s also-theoretical space-based solar energy technology. This would involve 1,000 satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) collecting the sun’s energy and then zapping it in infrared beams to panels on the ground 22,000 miles below. Easy-peasy.
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