Once you get a few dozen of these babies flying overhead, your troubles are over. Build solar collectors and echelon mirrors. Build improvements to suppress drones, because you won't get much help from your social engineering. Secret projects aren't the priority here that they are with other strategies, but be ruthless in grabbing anything that will boost your energy production. Also make sure you get the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, to keep enemy probe teams out of your bank account.
Loans Do make loans.
You should be able to afford it, it will come out in your favor in the long run, and it helps keep other factions friendly. Likewise, give tech away freely if it helps keep other factions off your back. Do become Planetary Governor, and work to pass the Global Trade Pact. The absolute bane of your existence is going to be the Global Energy Crash special event. This is why the secret to an economic victory is not a large cash reserve per se, but good constant cash flow.