What if power could reach systems without cables? A laser-based approach could enable wireless energy transfer over long distances.
Olee Space has demonstrated its laser-based wireless power transfer technology by transmitting 600W of optical power over a 400-metre outdoor line-of-sight distance.
The demonstration used the company’s in-house, patent-pending optical receiver, which achieved 28% optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency. The receiver is designed for higher power levels and can be scaled to handle up to 1.5kW using the same panel design.
The technology targets applications where conventional power cables or electrical infrastructure are difficult, costly, or impractical to deploy. Laser-based wireless power transfer can deliver energy over longer distances without a physical electrical connection, making it suitable for outdoor and remote applications.
Olee’s system combines laser engineering, photonics, beam control, thermal management, and optical energy conversion in a single platform designed for continuous outdoor operation.
The receiver uses beam-shaped optics to distribute the incoming laser energy across the panel. This helps reduce the formation of thermal hotspots when operating at high power. An integrated cooling system continuously removes heat from the receiver to support sustained operation.
The system also uses Olee’s proprietary Position Accuracy Tracking technology to keep the laser beam aligned with the receiver. The tracking system is designed to maintain beam positioning even when atmospheric conditions affect the transmission path.
Together, the optical receiver, beam-shaping system, cooling mechanism, and position tracking enable the platform to maintain power transfer over a 400-metre outdoor path while providing a route to higher power levels.
“Since most of the satellites in space are deprived of energy, we believe this to be ‘The technology’ of the future. We start small, by wirelessly transferring power to 5G base stations, eVTOLs, ISR Drones and IoTs on the ground but eventually aim to power those little ones in space” said James Solomon, Founder of Olee Space.
“This demonstration validates years of work in building core photonics capabilities in-house – from laser engineering and optical design to precision beam control and receiver architecture. Our focus is to develop robust, scalable technologies that solve real-world energy delivery challenges.”
