The concept of wireless transmission of electrical energy — or power beaming — is not new. The idea has been around for decades, proposed primarily for space-based solar farms to supply energy to Earth or the surface of another world, or for wireless power on Earth. The two technologies that appeared suitable for power beaming involved microwave or laser energy. Researchers in several countries flew a variety of model aircraft using beamed microwave energy 20 years ago. However, the nature of...

In space there's no atmosphere, it's never cloudy, and in geosynchronous orbits it's never night: a perfect place for a solar power station to harvest uninterrupted power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The United States and the world need to find new sources of clean energy. Space Solar Power gathers energy from sunlight in space and transmits it wirelessly to Earth. Space solar power can solve our energy and greenhouse gas emissions problems. Not just help, not just take a step in the righ...

Scientists at Nanyang Technology University (NTU) have developed ultra-fast charging batteries that can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes. The new generation batteries also have a long lifespan of over 20 years, more than 10 times compared to existing lithium-ion batteries. This breakthrough has a wide-ranging impact on all industries, especially for electric vehicles, where consumers are put off by the long recharge times and its limited battery life. With this new tec...

An extremely abundant and promising source of energy exists in the world’s oceans. Ocean energy exists in the forms of wave, tidal, marine current, thermal (temperature gradient) and salinity. Among these forms, significant opportunities and benefits have been identified in the area of wave energy extraction. Wave energy also offers higher energy densities, enabling devices to extract more power from a smaller volume at consequent lower costs and reduced visual impact. A multidisciplinary...

The US Naval Research Laboratory’s Materials Science and Technology Division have already demonstrated that a new, state-of-the-art conversion method can turn ordinary seawater into a liquid hydrocarbon fuel potent enough to power a small model aircraft. Soon, though, they say the same process will provide the Navy with a way of refueling any of its hundreds of ships at sea without relying on the comparably meager fleet of military oil tankers currently tasked with delivering  million gallons of...