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DARPA program sets distance record for power beaming
Successful demonstration of new receiver technology is important step for revolutionizing power delivery at the edge May 16, 2025 In a series of recent tests in New Mexico, the Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER) program achieved several new records for transmitting power over distance. The team recorded more than 800 watts of power delivered during a 30-second transmission from a laser 8.6 kilometers (5.3 miles) away.
Naval Research Laboratory and the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF) at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range. The High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility test range located at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range on the day the PRAD team set the optical power beaming distance record.Energy is a fundamental requirement for military operations, and traditional means of getting energy to the edge (battlefields, disaster zones, etc.) “It’s a lot easier to send a power beam directly up or down relative to the ground because there is so much less atmosphere to fight through,” Jaffe explains.
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