A sprinkling of press this week about a trial in New Zealand for wireless electric transmission.
Sounds exciting, but after further study, it's nothing but a game of tradeoffs for affected landowners and communities.
Would you trade copper wire on gigantic towers for huge antennas on gigantic towers? I can't honestly say which is preferable. In addition, the technology only works when it has a clear line of sight between transmitter relays. That means no obstructions along the path of the transmission -- no buildings, no hills, no vegetation. Not only are they going to have to put these closer together to get around obstacles, but they're going to have to build the towers higher than the tree canopy, and then make sure the vegetation never gets high enough to interfere.
And, of course, they claim it's perfectly safe. About as safe as standing in front of an operating microwave oven 24/7? Let the scientific research begin! It's not all going to be rosy.
This new technology can be metered and costs assigned to customers, which was a failing of Tesla's model more than 100 years ago. He was more about the science than commercialization. His wireless electricity was free.
So, yes, this sounds like a huge deal in the world of science and transmission, but in practice it's not going to revolutionize the way electricity is transmitted. It still relies on cleared ROW (although above ground) and a series of towers above the ground.
I think I'd rather have this.
Sounds exciting, but after further study, it's nothing but a game of tradeoffs for affected landowners and communities.
Would you trade copper wire on gigantic towers for huge antennas on gigantic towers? I can't honestly say which is preferable. In addition, the technology only works when it has a clear line of sight between transmitter relays. That means no obstructions along the path of the transmission -- no buildings, no hills, no vegetation. Not only are they going to have to put these closer together to get around obstacles, but they're going to have to build the towers higher than the tree canopy, and then make sure the vegetation never gets high enough to interfere.
And, of course, they claim it's perfectly safe. About as safe as standing in front of an operating microwave oven 24/7? Let the scientific research begin! It's not all going to be rosy.
This new technology can be metered and costs assigned to customers, which was a failing of Tesla's model more than 100 years ago. He was more about the science than commercialization. His wireless electricity was free.
So, yes, this sounds like a huge deal in the world of science and transmission, but in practice it's not going to revolutionize the way electricity is transmitted. It still relies on cleared ROW (although above ground) and a series of towers above the ground.
I think I'd rather have this.
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