The stars are basically 'free' energy. We just need to figure out how to harness it at scale.

The stars are pouring a gargantuan amount of energy into space every second. So much so that if you put a solar panel just a few astronomical units from the nearest star (let's call it the sun), it could power the entire world. <br><br>The problem is that we're are 93 million miles away from the sun and the sun's rays weaken when they travel through space. If we could just figure out how to harness the energy where it is strongest (right next to the star) and then beam it to earth at scale, the energy problem would be solved. Of course, this is totally science fiction right now. But, the concept is intriguing. That's why a lot of really smart people are working on solar power satellites that can harness solar energy in space and then beam it back to earth. It's still nowhere near being 'free', but it's the closest we've come to making it happen. <br><br>Maybe one day, we'll be able to mine the energy of the stars themselves. Not by 'mining' the star's physical material, but by harnessing the energy of the star at the source. There's a company called Breakthrough Starshot that is working on giant solar sails that can travel to nearby stars in just a few decades. It's still pie in the sky at this point, but it's a step in the right direction.