> No civilization more advanced than us is going to let stupendous amounts of energy go to waste in the form of star light. Unless it is not worth the trade of

> No civilization more advanced than us is going to let stupendous amounts of energy go to waste in the form of star light. Unless it is not worth the trade off. Material is rare and might be more useful for data storage than for harnessing energy. It's not difficult to imagine a civilization that consists of a single Dyson swarm, perhaps using the star as both an energy source and propulsion system. When they use up the star, they can move on to another star. Detectable, but just barely, and only if we happen to look in the right direction.