Experts from the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have set a new record in the field of wireless distance energy transmission. The SCOPE-M pilot plant, deployed at the US Army Research Area in Maryland, provided a microwave transmission of 1.6 kW at just over a kilometer.

The idea of ​​wireless transmission of energy over long distances has been circulating in the scientific community for more than a century. By 1970, this technology had matured considerably and had become an important component of the technology proposed by the American physicist Gerard K. O’Neil (Gerard K. O’Neil). The proposed technology includes the construction of massive space solar collectors, converters and emitters that will transmit large amounts of energy collected in space to Earth.

The principle of this is quite simple. Solar energy is converted into electricity, which in turn is converted into microwave radiation. With the help of emitters of suitable shape and design, this microwave radiation is focused on the surface of the receiver. The design of the receiver is quite simple – a set of dipole antenna X-band and high-frequency diodes. When electromagnetic waves are captured by the antenna, the alternating electric current is rectified by the diodes and converted into a ready-to-use direct current.

The wireless power transmission system was developed under the Safe and Continuous Power Beaming program – Microwave (SCOPE-M). It uses a microwave beam with a frequency of 10 GHz. This frequency was chosen because such radio waves are virtually unaffected by weather conditions, with a loss of no more than 5 percent during torrential rains. In addition, the radiation of this frequency according to international standards is safe for birds, animals and humans, and the energy transmission system does not require additional protective measures, such as similar systems based on high-power lasers.

The SCOPE-M system was tested at two locations, the US Army Research Field at Blossom Point, Maryland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Ultra Wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR). During testing in Maryland, the SCOPE-M system showed an efficiency rate of 60 percent. This level of efficiency was not achieved in Massachusetts, but a higher average level of energy transfer was achieved, meaning more energy was transferred.

The developers of the SCOPE-M system believe that further development of this technology will lead to the construction of large orbital solar power plants that transmit energy to Earth in a continuous stream 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, the US Department of Defense, which finances the project, considers the SCOPE-M system to have the potential to transfer energy to units operating in the foreground or in isolation from the main forces, eliminating the need for regular refueling and refueling. other energy.