Under Secretary of Defense Heidi Shyu tours new PowerLight Technologies Facility
KENT, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PowerLight Technologies, the leading developer of laser power beaming systems, was pleased to welcome the Honorable Heidi Shyu, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E), to their headquarters for a demonstration of wireless power beaming technologies and a first look at PowerLight’s new, state-of-the-art facility. As Chief Technology Officer for the Department of Defense (DoD), Ms. Shyu is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), and the Under Secretariat staff focused on developing advanced technology and capabilities for the United States military.
PowerLight Technologies, an innovative provider of operational energy that enables distribution of kilowatt-level power over kilometers flexibly, safely, and efficiently, showcased its cutting-edge wireless power beaming and power over fiber solutions that are supporting some of DoD’s most pressing logistical challenges, particularly for contested environments. During Ms. Shyu’s visit, PowerLight’s CEO, Richard Gustafson, provided an overview of various power beaming use cases being developed, including wireless power beaming to enable nonstop, continuous flight of unmanned aircraft, powering 5G cellular infrastructure , and powering lunar infrastructure, vehicles, and networks.
The discussion highlighted the importance of past and future support from the DoD for continued acceleration of the development, adoption, and deployment of wireless power beaming technologies. Throughout the meeting, Ms. Shyu reiterated her support for PowerLight’s technology and its transformative potential to address multi-domain operational energy challenges. “This is a great capability,” said Ms. Shyu, “I’d like to see you mature it further.”
“We were proud to share with Ms. Shyu the progress we have made together with the DoD in technology validation and bringing this valuable solution closer to beneficial use,” said Richard Gustafson, President and CEO of PowerLight. “Wireless Power Beaming provides a unique new capability that can more flexibly, efficiently, and effectively distribute energy to digital infrastructure where and when it’s required most, and where it may also have been previously impossible to distribute that energy any other way. The work we have done will provide new capability in support of US Military operations while commercialized power beaming solutions being tested today will increasingly support the rapidly growing, and power hungry, digital infrastructure that is being deployed globally in the commercial space as well.”
PowerLight’s proprietary solutions use a specialized photovoltaic cell receiver to charge battery-powered devices while in motion or in a fixed position. Our unique optical power beaming technology converts electricity by using laser diodes to beam high-intensity light, which is shaped as a beam of light and directed over long distance through free space to a receiver that collects the light and converts it back into usable electricity (DC power out). The company’s core technology was developed over a dozen years through collaborations with NASA and DoD.
PowerLight’s new headquarters represents a transition to the next phase in our growth and commercialization strategy. The facility includes space for the projected addition of 50-75 engineers & technicians, state of the art test, assembly and demonstration facilities, 3D manufacturing capabilities, and tools for advanced modeling and simulation. With this new investment, PowerLight is rapidly scaling our offerings, growing our team, and continuing our dedication to solving DoD’s critical operational energy challenges.
About PowerLight:
PowerLight Technologies is the leading developer of safe, long-distance laser power beaming solutions to transmit kilowatt-level power remotely, making energy accessible to new and increasingly mobile distributed digital assets on and off planet Earth. Laser power beaming delivers energy to digital infrastructure, enabling digital work to be done when and where it is needed, including in hard-to-reach places, with or without human access, and without the tether to today’s battery- and power-cord power distribution environment. PowerLight is ramping developments with commercial partners for Power-over-Fiber and for powering remote sites in free space. PowerLight maintains headquarters in Kent, Washington, USA. For additional information visit www.powerlighttech.com.
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