[JoeAltmaier]

I always thought that was a primitive notion. We can build the sphere, but not control the star? Imagine a caveman - "Limit to civilization when all energy from campfire captured - most people warm, most meat cooked" Clearly one can do better than a campfire.

Instead, imagine harvesting energy from the star asymmetrically - from flares or from the inside out. Or get your energy from a neighboring star. Or make your own star. Or whatever a Type-whatever civilization decides to do.