Japanese scientists success in transmitting energy wirelessly

Japanese scientists have succeeded in transmitting energy wirelessly, in a key step that could one day make solar power generation in space a possibility, an official said yesterday.

Researchers used microwaves to deliver 1.8kW of power - enough to run an electric kettle - through the air with pinpoint accuracy to a receiver 55 metres away.

While the distance was not huge, the technology could pave the way to eventually taping the vast amount of solar energy available in space and use it here on earth, a spokesman for The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.

"This was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly 2kW of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device," he said.

Solar power generation in space has many advantages over its earth-based cousin, notably the permanent availability of energy, regardless of weather or time of day.

While manmade satellites, such as the International Space Station, have long been able to use the solar energy that washes over them from the sun, getting that power down to earth where people can use it has been the thing of science fiction.