• Question: Sound is a form of energy and is sent in form of sound waves before being received and converted back into sound , why is it that scientist have not the same technique to send electric energy in form of electric waves ,where they can receive and reconvert into electrical power in homes of people?

    Asked by abqb266 to Beatrice, Charles, George, Kamal, Patricia on 17 Jan 2017.
    • Photo: Kamal Bhattacharya

      Kamal Bhattacharya answered on 17 Jan 2017:


      Nice thought and yes, in principle you can do that. Say you have an energy source, then you can transform the source of energy in various ways, for example, into magnetic fields that can then be used to generate energy and e.g. recharge a battery. I once spoke to a Japanese scientist, who told me about Japan’s plans to generate 1GW of power from sourcing the energy through a solar panel in space and sending the energy collected down to earth via microwaves. It has lots of challenges, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you will experience this tech to work during your lifetime.

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