From Nikola Tesla To The 21st Century: How Wireless Electricity Is The Future Of How We Use Power
“What is now proved, was once only imagined.” — William Blake
Advancements in technology occur in ‘pockets’ and ‘backdrifts’ and with a lot of trial and error and difficulty.
All of the technological advancements we see around us in this day and age, emerged in ‘pockets‘ and after ‘great difficulty‘, with their own ‘Goldilocks conditions‘, as I’ve explained in an old article of mine called ‘the Big History Of The Universe”
A lot of the inventions that have shaped humanity took years of ideation, dedication, mistakes, conceptualization and were considered inconceivable and outrageous at the time of their conception.
One such invention is “Wireless Power Transfer”(WPT) or simply “Wireless Electricity”.
Back in 2011, more than a decade ago, I was still in college studying for my undergrad Bachelor’s(B.E.) degree in Information Technology at MIT, Manipal, India.
For our final semester project, we had to present a report as part of our grading on any kind of upcoming engineering concepts of our choice.
And I picked “Wireless Electricity” as the topic of my presentation.
I’ve always been a bit of a futurist and have always thought about concepts and ideas which would propel the human race into the far reaches of the future. And so, when I stumbled upon the “Wireless Electricity” concept for my college presentation, I knew that this would be an invention that would be one for the future.
What Is Wireless Electricity?
As, it says in the slide below, “Wireless Electricity”or “Wireless Power Transfer”(WPT) is the transfer of electrical energy from a power source to a device without conductors i.e. without wires.
Think of it like just as we send data packets through the air when we use a modem/router while using the internet, in a similar way, we can send power/electricity through the air using magnetic fields.
How It Works?
The way wireless power transfer works is using the magnetic field between a power source and a coil(which is present inside a device) and the resonant frequency between the power source and the coil sustains the power.
(This is the basic concept, however, there are further sub divisions of how power can be transferred wirelessly which are explained in the latter part of this article)
Tesla & The History Of Wireless Power
Nikola Tesla, the infamous inventor and scientist, first conceptualized “Wireless Power” in the 19th century. He began experimenting with wireless power transfer in around 1891.
“Power can be, and at no distant date will be, transmitted without wires, for all commercial uses, such as the lighting of homes and the driving of aeroplanes. I have discovered the essential principles, and it only remains to develop them commercially. When this is done, you will be able to go anywhere in the world — to the mountain top overlooking your farm, to the arctic, or to the desert — and set up a little equipment that will give you heat to cook with, and light to read by.”
— Nikola Tesla.
Tesla used conduction based systems, instead of resonating magnetic fields to transfer power wirelessly.
He wanted to create a “Worldwide Wireless System”, as he called it, and wanted to use the Earth’s magnetic field to transfer power wirelessly across the globe.
So, he began constructing a tower called the “Tesla Tower” or “Wardenclyffe Tower” in Long Island Colorado, USA.
However, due to advancements in telegraphy, telephony and other forms of communication at the time, Tesla’s plan seemed too unrealistic during that period of history. The tower was then scrapped and funding was stopped.
However, many of Tesla’s concepts and ideas would be used for telecommunication & advancements in communication in the future.
The Future
Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) is set to change the way we use power and how we power our homes.
As the demand for more avenues of clean energy increases, it’s certain that “Wireless Electricity” or “Wireless Power Transfer” (WPT) will revolutionize the clean energy sector for the foreseeable future.
There are two ways WPT works:
Near Field
On a basic level, in our homes, we can use WPT to power every device like our phones, laptops, and other devices in a room and make them all charge without wires.
All you need to do is connect the “Wireless Power” transmitting device to a socket and it will transfer power wirelessly to all your devices.
This is known as “Near Field” or “Non-Radiative” Wireless Power Transfer.
Far Field
“Far Field” or “Radiative” Wireless Power Transfer can be done using “Microwaves” or “Lasers”
In this method, microwave radiation is turned into DC electric power with the help of a microwave receiver and DC rectifier.
Imagine sending a giant solar panel into space, orbiting the Earth, where it can absorb solar energy to its maximum capability.
Then the orbiting panel, sends the Microwave signals down to Earth and a giant Rectenna absorbs the power and then transmits it across the globe.
As explained on the website ‘Interesting Engineering’
This is a promising method that involves the use of solar power satellites placed in high earth orbit. The satellite would convert the sunlight into energy; this energy is composed of microwaves. These microwave signals would then be transmitted to an antenna on the ground or to a main grid station.
From there, the signals would be transferred to a base grid station, which would convert the microwaves into DC electricity. At the grid station, the electricity would also be converted into energy packets, similar to internet data packets, which would be transmitted to individual homes and stored in an energy receiver.
Rectenna conversions of energy have been realized up to 85–95% and so it’s an extremely efficient way of Wireless Power Transfer.
Conclusion
The possibilities “Wireless Power” unhinges are endless and it is set to revolutionize how we use power and electricity in the future, i.e. once the technology is perfected.
Wireless Power could eradicate our need of using expensive power stations, transmission towers and cables that transfer electricity.
It’s a century old dream first formulated by Nikola Tesla and it is yet to be perfected at the turn of this new decade. But it has the capability of changing the way we use power for good.
Just like AI and Programming Biological Cells, it’s rest assured that “Wireless Electricity” or “Wireless Power Transfer” (WPT) is a technological development that is going to come to the fore and become an advancement that will be used by humanity and change & impact how we use power indefinitely in the coming decades.
