Hi Grendel. I'm not sure about pirates. At first I laughed (thought you were joking), and then I realized this is actually a good question. Seasteading is spending a lot of time, energy, and probably investor dollars on smart research so I imagine they're thinking hard about security designs too—hopefully ones that will be uninvasive to the people who live there.

You asked: "Will they really be able to generate all the energy they need just from solar power?" I understand your skepticism, especially given that the technology and public sentiment haven't entirely caught up. In the past, solar power cost a lot to convert relative to the rewards. Those panels we all picture were expensive to buy and far too big; but the technology is rapidly changing. Very.

Consider this: the sun blasts the planet with more energy in one hour than humanity consumes in a year.

Amazing, right? If we were able to put researchers and scientists in a place completely outside of the territory of bogged down governments and bureaucracies so they could actually make rapid progress on work they know is possible, things could happen. Developing nations could catch up. The oceans could provide power to the entire world. National and corporate conflicts over fossil fuels would become a thing of the past.

I believe that's what Seasteading is about. Another thing they are about is creating new forms of non-traditional governance that are NOT bureaucratic in nature. That's a big part of what captures my interest in them.