I remember reading about this concept (geez!) 20 years ago, though the sources were not as far as the moon [1]. I believe Isaac Asimov ranked civilizations base

I remember reading about this concept (geez!) 20 years ago, though the sources were not as far as the moon [1]. I believe Isaac Asimov ranked civilizations based on the proportion of energy gathered from its main star. [1] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/400104/beam-it-down/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/400104/beam-it-down/