Episode 112 | Beaming Benefits | PowerLight Technologies





Beaming power holds incredible promise. Infrastructure, permitting...would all go away. Neighborhoods, buildings, and installations could get power right away whenever they need it.

To review, there are two types of power beaming and two technologies each, which we covered in Episode 32:


Seattle-based PowerLight Technologies is focused on lasers. They say their innovation has been 1) their unique receiver design, that can convert light into kilowatts of energy, and 2) their real-world focus on beam safety.

"If you can see from the transmitter to the receiver either by eye or by telescope, you can get power there," says my guest, co-founder and CTO Tom Nugent. Tom and his team started out as LaserMotive in 2006 before changing their name to PowerLight in 2017.

He says one of the earliest applications for their laser-power beaming solution are drones, which need to stay aloft indefinitely. Under this scheme, a PowerLight laser, positioned on a gimble on a tower, would beam energy to a receiver on the drone. The receiver would resemble a PV solar cell. The drone would have an onboard battery, enabling the same laser to power other drones.

Tom says they are initially working in kilometer ranges, though these lasers could theoretically work hundreds of kilometers away. Increasing power would only require clustering more lasers together. "It's easier to add power than add distance," he says.

Lasers, like the ones PowerLight are using, are just outside the light spectrum, in the "near-infrared" range, about 300,000 gigahertz. Tom says whereas microwave, TV, and radio signals are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, lasers at these frequencies are governed by the Center for Device and Radiological Health at the Food and Drug Administration.

One of the top concerns for Tom and his team is safety when it comes to these lasers. He says they have developed a technology that would sense if anything came near a beam, like a pigeon.

We also discussed PowerLight's efforts in space. In Episode 50, we explored the potential for lasers to transmit solar energy back to earth. Tom says while microwaves might be preferable, his lasers are a "good proving ground."

"The interest in beaming power from space is one of the things that got me down this path back when I was in high school and college," he says.

Useful Links:

  • ConnectDER - Official Site