March 28, 2024

New Zealand Tests Wireless Power Lines

New Zealand Tests Wireless Power Lines

The government-backed Emrod is developing a long-distance wireless transmission system that canreplace traditional transmission lines.

Since the time of Nikola Tesla, many engineers have trieddevelop a practical technology for transmitting large amounts of electricity through the air that could be used on an industrial scale. Although it is based on the same conversion principles as in any radio system, in this case, due to the high power, the key parameteris efficiency.

Emrod engineers claim to have found a solutionthis problem, combining ideas from the work of optical and radar systems with metamaterials. Unlike cell towers and radio antennas, the quasi-optical system they create converts electricity into a focused cylindrical microwave beam, directing it to the matrix of the next receiver. Thus, energy can be transferred along the chain and distributed among consumers.

The specific signal power is about 1 kWper m2, therefore lasers are located at the edges of the receiver panels aimed at the sensor matrix of the previous transmitter. If at least one of the signals is interrupted, for example, by a flying bird, then the system stops generating microwave radiation for this time.

The team is currently working on creatinga system that transmits power over a distance of 40 m, which is to be field tested next year. The current prototype works indoors at a distance of two meters. The technology bottleneck is the transmitter, whose component efficiency is about 70%, but the development of 5G will help upgrade the system.

The government of NewZeeland and began to support the company. The authorities want to learn about the possibility of using the technology to supply power to remote areas and difficult terrain, where the lining and maintenance of traditional power lines is expensive.

Recall that to reduce the cost of maintaining power grids in China, they began to use autonomous robots.

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