Tesla's vision of wireless energy transmission – how close are we today?
Nikola Tesla, one of the most brilliant minds in the history of science, dreamed at the beginning of the 20th century of a world in which electrical energy could be transmitted wirelessly – through the air, without wires. His ambitious project, the Wardenclyffe Tower, was intended to enable the transmission of energy over long distances using atmospheric and terrestrial resonances. Although the tower was demolished before the project was completed, the idea did not disappear. More than a century later, technology has finally caught up with his vision.
From photo gallery of Tesla Memorial Society
Wireless Energy Transmission Today
Thanks to advances in physics, electronics, and space technology, wireless power transfer (WPT) has become a part of everyday life. Smartphones, electric vehicles, and medical devices already use technologies such as resonant induction or radio frequency transmission to make charging more convenient and flexible.
But what truly fascinated Tesla was the transmission of energy over long distances – not just within homes, but between cities, continents, and even from space to Earth. In this field, significant progress has been made in recent years.
DARPA’s Record: 800 W Transmitted Over 8.6 Kilometers
The U.S. agency DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) recently set a new record in wireless energy transmission. As part of the POWER project (Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay), more than 800 watts of electrical power were successfully transmitted using a laser beam over a distance of 8.6 kilometers. The experiment involved precisely directing the laser beam toward a receiving station, which converted the energy into electric current using photovoltaic cells.
Although the overall efficiency was around 20%, this experiment proves the technical feasibility of transmitting significant amounts of energy over distances that were previously unachievable. This opens the door to potential military, logistical, and civilian applications – such as powering remote installations without the need for cable infrastructure.
From photo gallery of Stanford University
Energy from Space: Solar Power Stations in Orbit
An even more revolutionary concept—one that Tesla likely wouldn’t have considered far from his own vision—is the transmission of solar energy from space. In recent years, a growing number of research teams and space agencies have been investing in so-called Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) systems.
A major milestone occurred in 2023, when the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) successfully carried out the first transmission of energy from space to Earth using its MAPLE satellite. Although only small amounts of energy were transmitted, the experiment demonstrated that the concept is technically feasible.
At the same time, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing its SOLARIS project, which aims to establish a space-based solar power network capable of delivering continuous microwave energy to Earth by 2040. The idea is to install large solar panels in orbit, where there are no clouds, nighttime, or atmospheric interference, and to concentrate and beam that energy down to terrestrial receiving stations.
Private companies like Aetherflux are also entering the race, working on laser-based energy transmission systems from low Earth orbit using constellations of satellites. If these projects succeed, the future could include global access to clean, renewable energy—available anywhere, without power grids, cables, or fossil fuels.
Challenges and Obstacles
Although the progress is impressive, wireless energy transfer still faces numerous challenges. The main issues are efficiency, safety, and cost.
Laser systems, while precise, struggle with energy dispersion and atmospheric interference. Microwave transmission requires large and expensive antennas as well as precise alignment between the transmitter and receiver. Additionally, the public still expresses concerns about the potential health and environmental impacts of high-energy beams traveling through the atmosphere.
Furthermore, building satellite solar power stations demands complex logistics, autonomous robotic systems for construction in space, and a stable, secure method for directing energy beams toward receiving stations.
From photo gallery of Forbes
In Conclusion: Tesla Would Be Proud
Despite the challenges, there is no doubt that humanity is rapidly approaching what Nikola Tesla dreamed of over a century ago. Wireless energy transmission is no longer science fiction but a scientific fact—already implemented on a small scale and rapidly advancing on a larger scale.
From laboratory experiments, through military projects, to space missions, wireless energy technology is becoming more mature every day. If development continues at this pace, not only will Tesla’s vision become a reality, but it could also become a key solution to the global energy and climate challenges of the future.
Sources:
- DARPA official report: https://www.darpa.mil/news/2025/darpa-program-distance-record-power-beaming
- LiveScience article: https://www.livescience.com/technology/darpa-smashes-wireless-power-record-beaming-energy-more-than-5-miles-away-and-uses-it-to-make-popcorn
- Caltech MAPLE demonstration: https://www.impactlab.com/2023/09/17/caltechs-maple-project-achieves-wireless-power-transmission-in-space
- Aetherflux – Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/baiju-bhatt-robinhood-cofounder-aetherflux-space-startup-satellite-constellation-energy-2024-10
- ESA SOLARIS project: https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/SOLARIS/SOLARIS2
- Review of scientific papers (arXiv): https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.15267
- Space-based solar power overview (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/SOLARIS/Space-Based_Solar_Power_overview