Current Solar Energy may not be enough power up entire space colonies, but it might with future technologies. Solar energy and natural space radiation is sufficient for many things. Mars has no atmosphere compared to Earth, so it has some additional choices that we cannot use here on Earth as easily.

Nuclear Energy is a viable power source for a Space Colony, but due to material choices perhaps not exactly in the way we do it here on Earth now. We need to use a different process, but that is possible, once done with the spent nuclear fuel, you could let it fall into the Sun if your space colony was an orbiting man made object. The Sun does not care, the radioactive material would be instantly vaporized and recycled.

Carbon Nano Tube construction could collect the space radiation and use it to power up the space ship, orbiting colony and protect the humans inside or a modified life form, something similar to humans with less bones to go bad, due to bone density issues in space. We could modify humans, with Jelly Fish DNA, like we have done with pigs in an attempt to make them translucent. I guess I probably should not discuss all this on the Internet the Christians, Muslims, etc., as they would want to stone or hang me, but it will all be possible soon.

Solar Flares and space radiation predictions are possible, they are working on this now, I take an online newsletter, that tells of the solar flares, which is cool. I think solar flares are linked to Earth Weather, Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and all sorts of other things, because everything is all connected, vibrational energy is all one, just like all waves of any type connect too. All energy; effects everything else. The more we learn in space the more efficient our we become for the human race.