New invention 'harvests' electricity from background radiation with the same efficiency as solar panels
New invention 'harvests' electricity from background
radiation and could be used to beam power to remote locations or recharge
phones wirelessly
Device captures microwaves and converts them into
electricity
Future versions could harvest satellite, sound or Wi-Fi
signals
Technology could be used to recharge phones without
cables or beam electricity to mountaintops
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 18:51 EST, 8 November 2013 | UPDATED: 19:21
EST, 8 November 2013
Engineers at Duke University have designed a breakthrough
gadget that 'harvests' background microwave radiation and converts it into
electricity, with the same efficiency as solar panels.
The development, unveiled on Thursday, raises exciting
possibilities such as recharging a phone wirelessly and providing power to
remote locations that can't access conventional electricity.
And the researchers say that their inexpensive invention
is remarkably versatile. It could be used to capture 'lost' energy from a range
of sources such as satellite transmissions, sound signals or Wi-Fi.
The Duke engineers used metamaterials, which their press
release describes as 'engineered structures that can capture various forms of
wave energy and tune them for useful applications.'
They say the device harvested microwaves with an
efficiency of 36.8 percent, similar to modern solar cells that capture light
energy.
A report that will appear in the journal Applied Physics
Letters in December states that this invention is capable of converting
microwave signals to enough direct current voltage to recharge a cell phone
battery.
The gadget, created by undergraduate engineering student
Allen Hawkes, graduate student Alexander Katko and lead investigator Steven
Cummer, consists of five fiberglass and copper conductors wired together on a
circuit board.
It is capable of providing 7.3V of electricity. As the
press release points out, current USB
chargers provide around 5V.
Hawkes said: 'We were aiming for the highest energy
efficiency we could achieve. We had been getting energy efficiency around 6 to
10 percent, but with this design we were able to dramatically improve energy
conversion to 37 percent, which is comparable to what is achieved in solar
cells.'
His colleague, Katko, added: 'It's possible to use this
design for a lot of different frequencies and types of energy, including
vibration and sound energy harvesting.
'Until now, a lot of work with metamaterials has been theoretical.
We are showing that with a little work, these materials can be useful for
consumer applications.'
Possible uses for the new technology include building
metamaterial into homes to ensure Wi-Fi signals are not just lost.
Electrical products could also have a device attached to
increase efficiency by ensuring that excess power is not wasted.
In theory, the invention could also be used to beam
signals from phone towers that could then be converted into electricity.
Electronic devices could be recharged wirelessly or
electricity sent to remote areas without power cables.
The researchers explained that a series of the
power-harvesters could even capture signals from satellites passing overhead.
This could allow for electricity in hostile environments
such as mountaintops or deserts. Cummer said: 'Our work demonstrates a simple
and inexpensive approach to electromagnetic power harvesting.
'The beauty of the design is that the basic building
blocks are self-contained and additive. One can simply assemble more blocks to
increase the scavenged power.'
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