Elon Musk has given up on solar power (on Earth)
Elon Musk's recent actions suggest a shift away from solar power towards fossil fuels for his AI company, xAI. Despite Tesla's history of promoting a solar electric economy, xAI has opted for natural gas turbines to power its data centers. Musk's focus appears to be on space-based solar power, which he believes could meet future energy demands for AI computing.
- ▪xAI has embraced the mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy by using natural gas turbines for its data centers.
- ▪SpaceX's filing emphasizes the potential of space-based solar power over terrestrial solar energy.
- ▪Musk anticipates a significant increase in AI computing demands, estimating a need for terawatt-scale annual growth.
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| Original publisher | TechCrunch |
| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/23/elon-musk-has-given-up-on-solar-power-on-earth/ |
| Publication time | Sat, 23 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-23T13:02:26.673Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-23T15:28:05.565Z |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Has Elon Musk given up on Tesla’s Master Plans, on the electrified economy, on solar power as we know it? From the SpaceX IPO filing released yesterday, it sure seems like it. A recap for those not enmeshed in the Musk-verse: Tesla has released four Master Plans over the years, and while details have varied, the through line has been electrification of the economy. Musk put it best in his first edition: “the overarching purpose of Tesla motors…is to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy.” But recently, one of Musk’s companies, xAI, has embraced the mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy, using dozens of unregulated natural gas turbines to power its data centers with plans to buy $2.8 billion more, effectively cementing the fossil…
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