What if large quantities of power could be transmitted via the 2-6 GHz microwave spectrum, rather than across bottlenecked cables and wires? This 12-page note explores power beaming technology, advantages, opportunities, challenges, efficiencies and costs. We still fear power grid bottlenecks.
Power grids are shaping up to be the biggest bottleneck in the energy transition, with implications across every sector (page 2).
Hence what opportunity exists to bypass bottlenecked cables and wires, by transmitting electricity as electromagnetic waves? Far field radiative power transmission, aka power beaming, was championed a century ago, by Nikola Tesla.
Electromagnetic radiation is simply the synchronized, energy-carrying oscillation of electric and magnetic fields which moves through a vacuum at 300,000 km per second (aka the Speed of Light, c). Relevant physics are re-capped on pages 3-4.
Magnetrons are the devices needed to convert electricity into microwave energy for power-beaming. Their functioning and efficiency are on page 5.
Rectennas are the devices needed to convert microwaves back into DC electricity. Their functioning and efficiency are on page 6.
Advantages of microwave power transmission are long ranges, minimal permitting requirements and flexibility in directing and re-directing loads.
Additional opportunities for power beaming go beyond the resolution of power grid bottlenecks. Without wishing to channel something out of Dune II, they could be used to power flying aircraft or to beam solar power from space (pages 7-8).
The efficiency of beaming power, from generation sources to end consumer, is modeled across a simplified value chain on page 9.
Costs and challenges of beaming power are explored on page 10. At long distances, we do think microwave transmission could cost less than HVDCs and other transmission lines.
Companies involved in power transmission via the microwave spectrum, are noted on page 11. One notable private company is EMROD. We also found a notable public company specializing in smaller-scale devices.