Wireless power transfer
The New Zealand company is involved in testing long-distance wireless power transmission technology, and they have also released an official statement on its website about wireless power transmission. The company proudly announced that "this is the world's largest commercial solution for wireless power transmission".
A new startup has developed a method to safely and wireless transmission of electric power across long distances without the use of copper wire. The startup aims to connect its technology to the great of New Zealand's second-largest power distributor.
In New Zealand, Emrod partners with power co to improve the last-mile continuous wireless power supply, and to deal with the economic reliability.
Wireless power transmission and its history
The wider adoption of wireless power transmission was one of Nikola Tesla's dreams. In the year of 1896, Tesla proved that he could power a light bulb from 3 kilometers away with a 42 meter Tesla coil. But this New Zealand company finally convinced a major district power distributor to the wireless transmission in the commercial grid of Newzealand.
The new startup can transfer a large amount of electricity with much more efficiency between any two points that can be joined with the line-of-sight relay.
Types and technology of WPT
We can classify the technology of wireless power transfer into two,
- Near-field techniques.
- Far-field techniques.
Near-field techniques
From the name, we came to know that near-field techniques cover only less distance by the magnetic fields.
This can be achieved by three methods,
- Inductive coupling.
- Resonant inductive coupling.
- Air ionization.
Far-field techniques
- Microwave power transmission (MPT).
- Laser power transmission.
Basics on wireless power transmission
The system uses a transmitting antenna, a series of the relay, and a receiving rectenna.
A transmitting antenna transmits the AC electrical energy into electromagnetic energy or radiofrequency. When the transmitting antenna is supplied with power then the magnetic field of current induces on the conductor. This continuous oscillation of the magnetic field produces electromagnetic waves.
Relay is a protective device that senses any abnormal conditions of the system and switchover its contact.
A rectenna is a rectifying antenna. It consists of two essential components such as RF diode and dipole antenna. For the conversion of microwave energy into DC electrical energy diodes are used.
For the safeness of living things, Its beaming uses the non-ionizing band that is the ISM band or frequency commonly used in Wifi and Bluetooth. The company also mentioned the point-to-point transmission where no energy spillage around the beam
The power of the electric current is made directly between a specific point so that no radiation is transmitted around the beam.
Yellow power laser safety kitenge immediately shut down power transmission before any object like a bird or drone can touch the main beam.
The power distributor might use this new wireless power transmission technology to deliver the electricity in remote locations. This technology could also be used to keep the lights on for the customers.
When the company is doing maintenance on existing infrastructure, the prototype device will be capable of delivering only a few kilowatts of power, but it can also easily be settled upon the replicated, to transmit a hundred times more power wirelessly over a longer distance.
The technology can also be mounted and attracted to create a temporary wireless power connection.
The distance of wireless power transmission is limited only by the line of sight between each relay.
This unique capability gives the potential to transmit power wirelessly across thousands of kilometers.
Future after wireless power transmission
- There will be less requirement for power cables, and we can also avoid complex networks for electricity.
- Wireless power transmission going to supports some of the new technology especially electric cars.
- This technology will also go to reduce the maintenance time in the power system and substation.
- Electric faults are also reduced.
- Reduction in usage of conductor materials such as copper and aluminum.