Power for Earth

Summary:

This project is focused on the development of novel break-through in the field of the so-called Wireless Power Transfer technology (WPT).

WPT technology is attracting an increasing interest, becoming a billion market, because it offers potential solutions when traditional conduction wires systems are limited or impossible. Among the different WPT technologies, High-Power Optical Transmission (HPOT) offers the highest efficiencies and a vast number of applications, and therefore, is attracting the majority of research efforts in WPT. HPOT technology consists of the use of a monochromatic light source, usually a collimated laser beam, to transfer energy to a remote system via a photovoltaic converter (OPC) through a specific medium, e.g. air, water or outers space. The ability of HPOT to deliver large amounts of power to small apertures over large distances makes it a key enabling technology for the development of completely new paradigms in some of the most important challenges facing humanity nowadays, e.g. clean energy generation or green mobility. Despite its outstanding potential and worldwide initiatives, HPOT technology is still in an early development and substantial efforts are needed for the technology to succeed.

As discussed, the technology should overcome the following challenges, namely: a) to increase the efficiency by improving the efficiency of OPCs, currently around 60%, and by selecting the optical wavelength according to the optical properties of the medium, and b) to increase the amount of power density that can be transferred, currently limited to around 100 W/cm2. The vast number of applications justify the need of global endeavours to fully leverage the potential of this exciting technology in the near future. PowerForEarth aims to develop a novel high-efficiency optical PV converter breakthrough in the field of HPOT technology based on wide-bad-gap III-V nitride materials able to achieve record efficiencies of around 80% (around 20% higher) peaking at strong light powers of around 1 kW·cm2 (x10 higher). Also, a proof-of-principle of a complete HPOT system will be carried out to promote the exploitation of the project. The unique PowerForEarth concept offers significant advantages exceeding today’s state-of-the-art-materials to establish a novel highly-efficient and competitive HPOT technology in Europe.