Owner of Tesla, X, and SpaceX, Elon Musk has always shown his conviction that solar energy is one of the most scalable and lucrative of the existing energy sources. He has also shared tweets about the Kardashev scale, first introduced in 1964 by Nikolai Kardashev, through which a civilization could be Type I, Type II, or Type III, depending on its ability to harness energy.
t was physicist Carl Sagan who stated that humanity is near 0.7 on the scale and that we have not reached Type I. However, Musk believes we can achieve it through the use of solar panels, promoting this idea through innovations such as Powerwall and solar roof tiles. Additionally, the Starlink satellite network from SpaceX, also his, is entirely powered by solar energy.
Musk ideas
For better or worse, Elon Musk’s brain never stops coming up with ideas. The founder of Tesla and SpaceX has shared on numerous occasions on the social media platform X (which he also owns) his belief that the future of humanity could be entirely powered by solar energy, and that this is one of the most lucrative scalable energy sources. He only sees the planet becoming self-sufficient if humanity turns to the use of renewable energies.
Kardashev Scale
Have you ever heard of the Kardashev Scale? It is a method proposed by the Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev in 1964, through which civilizations are classified based on their ability to control and utilize energy on a large scale. It includes 3 types of civilizations:
- Type I: when a civilization is capable of using all the energy available on its home planet.
- Type II: when a civilization can harness the full power of its native star.
- Type III: when a civilization is capable of controlling all the energy present in its galaxy.
What position does humanity occupy on this scale?
According to physicist Carl Sagan, humanity does not reach the level of a Type I civilization, scoring only 0.7 on the scale. However, Musk believes it is possible for us to reach the first type thanks to the use of solar panels, as he believes they are capable of meeting the planet’s energy needs.
Musk intends to reach Type I
Musk has often stated that the greatest source of energy we have is the Sun, and he argues that only through solar energy can we achieve large-scale energy self-sufficiency. To support these claims, Musk has driven Tesla’s solar division with technological innovations such as Powerwall and solar tiles. Additionally, the Starlink satellite network of his company, SpaceX, is entirely powered by solar energy. According to Musk, more than 173,000 terawatts of constant solar energy could reach Earth if humanity is able to harness it with the necessary infrastructure.
Dyson Sphere
This is a hypothesis proposed in 1960 by Freeman Dyson, in which a hypothetical megastructure surrounds a star with the purpose of capturing all its energy, which would then be used by a civilization. According to its author, it does not have to be a solid sphere, but could also be a mesh of independent satellites orbiting the star. Although this might seem like a way to even reach Type II on the Kardashev Scale, Musk has never brought it up, at least for now. Currently, the ideas circulating in his mind are to obtain direct solar energy from the Sun and to replicate that technology in The Boring Company, turning it into a self-sufficient planet.
Musk is clear that it is more than possible to reach Type I as long as we are able to implement a change in mindset and redirect our consumption towards renewable energies, specifically solar energy.