The Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER) program is a research and development effort funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the technology for a wireless power network that can provide power to remote US military bases. The goal of the POWER program is to create a system that can transmit power over long distances, with high efficiency and reliability.
The POWER program is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way the military leverages its assets. Currently, military assets are often powered by generators or batteries, which can be bulky, heavy, and unreliable. The POWER system could provide a more efficient and reliable way to power these assets, potentially giving the military a significant advantage in the field.
The POWER system would work by using lasers to transmit energy from a ground source to a receiver at a distant base. At the source, the electrical energy would be converted into a laser beam, and that laser would be focused to a point in the sky capable of retransmitting it elsewhere, until it reached a receiver, where the energy would be converted back into electricity. And then the receiver would use this electricity to power itself.
Said like that it sounds very easy, but doing it is more than complex.
The POWER system would have a number of advantages over traditional methods of powering military assets. First, it would be much more efficient. Generators and batteries typically lose a significant amount of energy as heat, whereas the POWER system would lose very little energy. This would mean that the POWER system would require less fuel, saving the military money.
Second, the POWER system would be much more reliable. Generators and batteries can fail, and must sometimes be transported across enemy terrain, which can leave military bases without enough power. This would mean that the military could be more confident that its bases would have the power they need when they need it.
Third, the POWER system would be much more flexible. Generators and batteries are limited in the amount of power they can generate and can be difficult to transport. This system could generate much more power and could be transported much more easily. This would give the military more flexibility in how they feed power to their far away bases.
This program is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way the military leverages its assets. The system could provide a more efficient, reliable and flexible way to power military assets, which could give the armed forces a significant advantage in the field.
In addition to the military, the POWER system could also have a number of civil applications. For example, the system could be used to power remote sensors or to provide power for disaster relief efforts. The POWER system could also be used to provide power to homes and businesses in remote areas, where it is difficult or expensive to connect to the electricity grid.
Here are some of the challenges facing the program:
The system must be capable of transmitting high energy over long distances and with high efficiency.
The system must be capable of operating in a variety of weather conditions.
The system must be affordable.
The POWER program is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to have a significant impact on the way we generate and use energy. The system could revolutionize the way we power our homes, businesses, and military assets.
And it is important that we do not forget that the GPS that we all carry in our pockets today, was a development that 50 years ago had its origin in a DARPA military project. Technological advances often pass from the military to the civilian world, and vice versa.
We'll see what happens with this one.
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