In a groundbreaking episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the popular fintech platform Robinhood, shared his ambitious vision for the future of energy. Bhatt has transitioned from revolutionizing personal finance to tackling one of humanity’s biggest challenges: sustainable energy through space-based solar power.
Bhatt’s new venture, Aetherflux, aims to harness solar energy directly from orbit, beaming it back to Earth to provide clean, limitless power. This concept, long considered a sci-fi dream, could potentially deliver gigawatts of energy anywhere on the planet, day or night, without the limitations of terrestrial solar farms.
During the podcast, Bhatt discussed how this deep tech innovation could disrupt the global energy sector. He emphasized the potential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change by offering a scalable, clean energy solution that transcends geographical and weather constraints.
The technology behind space-based solar power involves satellites equipped with solar panels capturing sunlight in orbit, where it is unfiltered by Earth’s atmosphere. This energy is then converted and transmitted to ground stations, a process Bhatt believes could become economically viable with advancements in space tech and launch costs.
While the idea is not without challenges, including high initial costs and technical hurdles, Bhatt remains optimistic. He highlighted the importance of long-term investment in such transformative projects, drawing parallels to the early days of Robinhood when skepticism was rife but innovation prevailed.
As Bhatt continues to push boundaries, his pivot from fintech to space tech signals a growing trend of entrepreneurs leveraging their success to tackle global issues. This visionary project could redefine how we power our world, making Aetherflux a company to watch in the coming years.
Maria Lourdes
