QAZAQ GREEN.  Meteoric, a UK-based climate-tech startup founded by Cambridge graduates Mete Karslioglu and Eric, is developing autonomous drone fleets capable of altering cloud reflectivity without chemical agents. Designed as a chemical-free alternative to traditional cloud seeding, the system primarily targets persistent cloud cover above utility-scale solar farms, with a long-term goal of mitigating severe storms and hurricanes.

According to the company, low- and mid-level overcast clouds block up to 73–82% of incoming sunlight. Meteoric’s operational model deploys dozens to hundreds of electric drones into cloud layers at altitudes of 1 to 5 km above solar power plants. The drones modify the microphysics of water droplets within the clouds, reducing their albedo and allowing significantly more solar radiation to reach the photovoltaic arrays below.

Meteoric’s predictive modeling indicates that the intervention could boost annual power output for existing solar facilities by 10% to 30% across major US grid regions without additional civil infrastructure—translating to an estimated revenue upside of $5,000 to $28,000 per megawatt of capacity.

Initial cloud-chamber testing showed that Meteoric’s prototype successfully reduced artificial cloud density by 13%. The company has also built a proprietary analytical framework to quantify specific yield losses attributable to cloud cover at target sites across the US.

Cost efficiency is a central driver of the business model. Operating specialized cloud-seeding aircraft typically costs upwards of $2,000 per hour, whereas electric drone operations run between $30 and $60 per hour. Precision targeting is further enabled by rapid advances in AI weather forecasting, where modern machine-learning models generate 15-day global forecasts in under a minute, outperforming legacy physical forecasting methods.

Meteoric plans to execute its first large-scale commercial demonstration over a solar facility in 2027, followed by initial storm-mitigation field trials in late 2028. The initiative comes amid escalating extreme-weather impacts, with first-half 2026 climate losses in the US topping $31.9 billion, building on average annual losses of $121 billion recorded between 2020 and 2024. The company is actively establishing partnerships with utility operators, atmospheric scientists, and disaster-response agencies.