By: Narbeh Derhacobian
In my last article, I shared what we mean by ‘wireless power transfer’ and discussed some of the challenges to commercial availability of such technology. Why hasn’t wireless power taken off yet in the mainstream? As I discussed, it’s not about technology readiness; the technology is mature and ready for productization. But there are issues such as cost of implementation, regulatory hurdles, lack of standards, complexity of use cases and other factors that have until now gotten in the way of commercialization beyond proximity charging technology.
In this article, I will discuss the opportunities that exist for wireless power transfer when we look at moving beyond convenience (e.g., charging a phone or a remote control) and focusing on real-world enablement. Specifically, let’s look at some applications and use cases that just couldn’t exist without wireless energy transfer technology. These are applications where the traditional means of delivering electricity – wires and batteries – are prohibitively expensive, costly to maintain, or practically impossible.
The main obstacles to adoption, cost and regulations, aren’t such insurmountable obstacles when wireless power transfer is essential to the realization of a use-case, especially when it comes to enabling critical applications in defense, public safety, emergency management and other areas. This shift from convenience to enablement is the key to early market adoption of wireless power transfer technology.
Above: A quick discussion of enablement versus convenience
One area where wireless power transfer can enable something new – and important – is in defense applications, specifically ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance). Being able to provide better intelligence and security for our armed forces is critical, and long-distance wireless power transfer can be a game-changer. For example, the ability to safely deliver high power over extended distances means we can significantly extend the effectiveness of aerial ISR platforms using UAVs. We can realize true persistent ISR capabilities for convoys, perimeter security, border protection and naval vessels.
Today, the typical flight time for a battery powered drone is ~30-45 minutes. At GuRu Wireless, we have used our 24GHz wireless power transfer technology to demonstrate uninterrupted drone flight time of several days. This ability to allow persistent flight of small UAVs enables use cases for security applications that are not otherwise possible.
Let’s talk about another example of enablement in the world of commercial buildings: smarter, more sustainable windows. At GuRu Wireless, we’re diving into this space with some help from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Our latest project focuses on integrating our wireless power technology with Electrochromic (EC) windows. If you haven’t heard of EC windows, here’s the scoop: they’re dynamic, high-tech glass that adjusts tint with just a bit of voltage. That means you can control how much light and heat enters a building—reducing glare, optimizing natural light, and cutting down on solar heat gain. The result? Better comfort for occupants, lower energy bills, and a big win for the planet. In fact, according to the DOE, windows account for 8.6% of commercial building energy use in the U.S., which translates to over 24 billion gallons of primary energy each year.
So why aren’t these smart windows everywhere? The biggest hurdle is cost—specifically the high price of wiring them into existing buildings. Retrofitting these windows often requires tearing up walls and adding infrastructure, all of which is expensive and disruptive. That’s where our wireless power technology comes in. By eliminating the need for hard-wired power, our solution slashes installation costs and simplifies the process.
We estimate that using our wireless power technology can reduce retrofit costs by up to 90%. That’s a game-changer and a perfect example of enablement. With this innovation, we’re making it easier—and much more affordable—to bring the benefits of EC windows to more buildings. It’s a step toward smarter, greener cities, and we’re excited to lead the charge.
GuRu Wireless’ technology also has the potential to deliver power to remote locations during emergencies, ensuring last mile power delivery to critical infrastructure when the electrical grid is down due to fire or other natural disasters. Enabling energy grid resiliency in such cases ensures that first responders can communicate with impacted communities. As extreme weather events and threats against our power grid and critical infrastructure – both physical and cyber –become more common, having redundancy through wireless power can be a significant safeguard.
We believe such enablement applications in critical sectors like defense, national security, utilities, and public safety will be the early adopters of long-range wireless power.
Enabling these applications requires a scalable wireless power beaming technology capable of delivering high power over long distances. GuRu Wireless leads the way with innovative energy transfer solutions operating in the 24GHz spectrum. Our proprietary millimeter-wave technology enables precise and efficient transmission of power, from milliwatts to kilowatts, across significant distances with exceptional performance. The modular design—small, lightweight, and tile-able—ensures scalability for a wide range of applications. Learn more about this groundbreaking technology.
