Powerco, New Zealand’s second-largest electric utility, has teamed with start-up Emrod to test a commercial power system that scientists have fantasized about for a century: transmitting electric power wirelessly, safely, and without major losses en route.
A prototype, able to transmit only a few kilowatts, will be built by October. The companies then will spend several months testing the system before beginning a field trial.
Emrod says its technology can quickly be scaled up to send thousands of watts of electricity continuously over any distances now spanned by wires.
The system mounts electronic panels on poles that send and receive power by microwaves through the portion of the radio spectrum reserved for industrial, medical, and scientific uses, including wi-fi and Bluetooth.
The power beam is transmitted by line of sight and is surrounded by what Emrod calls a “low-power laser safety curtain” that shuts off transmission before a bird or other intruder can enter the transmission beam.
The system can work in any weather or atmospheric conditions, Emrod says.
TRENDPOST: If the system proves viable, early uses will send power over rough terrain, to remote areas, or to ships and installations offshore. Eventually, such a system could realize Nikola Tesla’s dream of abundant, wireless electricity reaching every spot on the globe.
by Bennett Daviss
