wireless power transfer
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
INTRODUCTION
The area of wireless power transmission is very interesting. The technology is in its infancy but the overall benefits from its maturation could be significant to society as a whole. World population is expected to continue to grow exponentially. Five sixths of the world’s population lives in developing nations. Most developing nations such as China, India, and Pakistan are rapidly improving their standard of living. All of these trends point to an energy demand that will grow at even a larger rate. Wireless power transmission could one day allow us to generate solar power on a satellite and beam it down to Earth, transmit power to a water treatment plant for a disaster relief operation or power a flying communication relay station from a terrestrial station. There are a few engineering hurtles yet to overcome to make this technology viable to today’s investors, but with the rising demand for energy and the rapid improvements being made it is just a matter of time before wireless power transmission becomes an industry of its own. In the late 19th century, shortly after the introduction of AC power, Nikola Tesla (an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electrical supply system and often called the greatest US electrical engineer during his time) began the development of a system for the global transmission of electrical energy without interconnecting wires. Nikola Tesla devoted much effort to develop a system for transferring large amount of power over considerable distance. His main goal was to bypass the electrical-wire grid, but for a number of financial and technical difficulties, this project was never completed. His invention, however, required large scale construction of 200 ft tall masts. He developed various methods that can be used for his wireless power transmission and
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
INTRODUCTION
The area of wireless power transmission is very interesting. The technology is in its infancy but the overall benefits from its maturation could be significant to society as a whole. World population is expected to continue to grow exponentially. Five sixths of the world’s population lives in developing nations. Most developing nations such as China, India, and Pakistan are rapidly improving their standard of living. All of these trends point to an energy demand that will grow at even a larger rate. Wireless power transmission could one day allow us to generate solar power on a satellite and beam it down to Earth, transmit power to a water treatment plant for a disaster relief operation or power a flying communication relay station from a terrestrial station. There are a few engineering hurtles yet to overcome to make this technology viable to today’s investors, but with the rising demand for energy and the rapid improvements being made it is just a matter of time before wireless power transmission becomes an industry of its own. In the late 19th century, shortly after the introduction of AC power, Nikola Tesla (an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electrical supply system and often called the greatest US electrical engineer during his time) began the development of a system for the global transmission of electrical energy without interconnecting wires. Nikola Tesla devoted much effort to develop a system for transferring large amount of power over considerable distance. His main goal was to bypass the electrical-wire grid, but for a number of financial and technical difficulties, this project was never completed. His invention, however, required large scale construction of 200 ft tall masts. He developed various methods that can be used for his wireless power transmission and