Wireless Electricity: Can We One Day Power the World Like Wi-Fi?
Imagine a world where electricity doesn’t need power lines.
Where devices, vehicles, even entire homes get energy through the air — just like how your phone gets internet from Wi-Fi. This sounds like science fiction, but
researchers are actively working toward wireless power transfer (WPT), a technology that could transform how we generate and distribute energy.
wirelesspower.ieee.org
In this article, we will explore:
The basic science behind wireless power
Nikola Tesla’s early experiments
Current technologies and companies working on wireless electricity
How it could one day be practical for everyday use
The challenges and realistic timelines ahead
What Is Wireless Power Transfer (WPT)?
Wireless power transfer means transmitting electrical energy without physical wires — using electromagnetic
fields or focused beams instead. This is different from wireless data (like Wi-Fi), which carries information rather than usable energy. WPT uses electric and magnetic fields or even light/laser beams to move energy from a transmitter to a receiver.
Today, WPT already exists in forms you might know:
Wireless chargers for phones and
smartwatches
Electric toothbrush chargers
Wireless charging pads for electric vehicles
These are safe because they only work at very short distances using magnetic induction.
But the dream is long-distance power delivery — where energy travels across rooms, kilometers, or even from space — just like how Wi-Fi travels through air.
How Nikola Tesla Started the Idea
At the turn of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors in history, experimented with wireless power.
At his Colorado Springs laboratory in 1899, Tesla built high-voltage equipment to study wireless transmission of electricity using resonant circuits — similar in principle to tuning a radio station, but sending power instead of sound.
Wikipedia
Tesla envisioned a global network of wireless power — huge towers sending
electrical energy to any receiver on Earth.
Although the idea was revolutionary, he didn’t have the technology or funding to scale it up, so his dream went unrealized in his lifetime.
Yet his early work planted the seed for future research in energy transmission without wires.
Modern Approaches: How Can We Do It Today?
🌀 Magnetic Inductive and Resonant Coupling
This is the most common form today — essentially wires replaced by magnetic fields between coils.
Devices like electric toothbrushes, phones, and even some cars use this method. The
range is very short (a few centimeters), but it works well and safely.
One example is Rezence, a standard proposed for wireless charging at distances up to a few centimeters using resonant magnetic fields.
📡 Focused Radio Waves (RF Power Beaming)
Companies like Ossia (Cota) are developing radio-frequency based systems
that can send about 1 watt of power over a distance up to ~9 meters (just under 30 feet), similar in frequency range to Wi-Fi. These systems can detect the receiver’s location and focus energy precisely, reducing safety risks.
This is like combining data and power in radio waves — a small step toward powering devices without cables.
🔦 Laser-Based Power Transmission
Some startups and labs are using lasers to send energy through the air:
SunCubes (Italy): Uses invisible laser beams to transmit electricity to drones or remote sensors. This has already been tested for small applications like in-flight drone recharging and could expand to bigger systems in the future.
Projects like PowerLight Technologies are developing systems that can wirelessly
recharge drones in flight using high-powered lasers, showing possible long-distance and focused energy transfer.
TechRadar
Microwave Power Beaming
Research teams, including those funded by national agencies like DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency),
have successfully beamed over 800 watts of energy across more than 8 kilometers using microwaves — enough power to do work, not just communicate. �
Live Science
This shows that high-power long-distance wireless transmission could become feasible in the future.
Could We Power Entire Cities Like Wi-Fi?
Here’s the biggest question: Can wireless electricity replace power lines?
The short answer today is not yet. Current technologies primarily work for:
Short-range power transfer (like wireless chargers)
Medium-range beaming for devices and drones
Controlled environments like labs and pilot projects
But long-range, high-power transmission to homes or entire cities is still a long way off due to:
🔹 Efficiency losses — power drops as distance increases
🔹 Safety concerns for energy moving through air
🔹 Equipment costs
🔹 Regulatory and infrastructure challenges
Most experts believe that wireless power may play a role alongside traditional grids rather than completely replacing them, at least for now.
World Economic Forum
However, this could change in the coming decades as technology improves.
Future Outlook: What’s Next?
Researchers are actively working on advanced wireless systems:
🔹 Integrated wireless power + data networks
🔹 Beam-forming and intelligent networks that target energy very precisely
🔹 Space-based solar power transmission (getting sunlight from orbit and beaming it to Earth)
These ideas all look toward a future where energy flows as fluidly as information does today.
arXiv
Companies and standards alliances (like AirFuel Alliance and WiTricity) work on practical commercial systems now, while others focus on cutting-edge research that might take years to mature.
Summary: When Could Wireless Electricity Become Real?
🔹 Short-range wireless charging —
already here and improving
🔹 Mid-range systems (meters) — early commercial use like Cota and research prototypes
🔹 Long-range power beams (kilometers) — experimental and military research
🔹 City-wide wireless grids — decades away
Will we ever have electricity like Wi-Fi?
Yes — but not in the same way your phone gets data today. Instead, power
transmission will be layered:
Close-range (phones, sensors, drones)
Mid-range (robots, EVs, outdoor equipment)
Long-range (specialized networks and possibly space-based systems)
This is a slow technological revolution, not an overnight transformation.
Useful Resources & Companies Working on Wireless Power
📡 Ossia (Cota wireless power technology) — up to ~9 m wireless power systems
🔦 SunCubes — laser-based power beaming for drones and sensors
Wikipedia
🧠 WiTricity & AirFuel Alliance — wireless charging standards and research
Wikipedia
🛰️ DARPA POWER program — long-distance laser power transmission experiments
Live Science
In the end, the dream of powering a city without wires isn’t impossible, but it’s still a work in progress. With continuous
innovation and breakthroughs in physics, computing, and energy transmission, what seems like science fiction today could become tomorrow’s energy reality.
🔬 Trusted Reference Links (Real Companies & Research)
⚡ Wireless Power Research
IEEE Wireless Power Transfer
WiTricity (Wireless EV Charging Company)
AirFuel Alliance (Wireless Charging Standards)
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