Image Credit: FuturoProssimo
Most places across the African continent are still off the grid. Forcing people and businesses in these areas to make do with green energy sources like solar, or resort back to archaic ways that include firewood, and kerosene-lamps. While that problem exists partly because of the lack of enough power generation on the main-grid, also there is a huge infrastructural challenge in power distribution.
Conventionally, electricity is distributed from the power generation plants to the consumers through electrical wires hosted on poles. No doubt, the laying down of poles and wires running all the way from the power plant to the consumer homes and businesses is a huge undertaking on its own.
Wireless Power Transmission
The problem of power distribution could be solved by a new technology that promises long-range, high-power, wireless electricity transmission. As it works out, power could be distributed without the use of costly copper lines hosted in poles running from the power plant to the consumer areas.
This technology, already in use in New Zealand, will be showcased at the forthcoming Africa Energy Forum. It will be showcased by EMROD, the company that developed the technology employing electromagnetic waves to reliably and safely transmit electricity wirelessly over a long distance.
Greg Kushnir, the serial tech entrepreneur who also founded EMROD said, “We have an abundance of clean hydro, solar, and wind energy available around the world but there are costly challenges that come with delivering that energy using traditional methods, for example, offshore wind farms or the Cook Strait here in New Zealand requiring underwater cables which are expensive to install and maintain.
I wanted to come up with a solution to move all that clean energy around from where it’s abundant to where it’s needed in a cost-effective, eco-friendly way.”
Electrifying African in 10 years
The technology for generating and storing power has evolved tremendously over the last century. However, there has been little to no development achieved when it comes to the transmission of that power. The technology used in the old days is pretty much the same as what is being used currently.
EMROD’s technology is a leapfrog in the power transmission technology as it completely does away with the wires and poles. By making the transmission wireless over a huge distance, it automatically overcomes myriads of geographical challenges including transmitting power over water bodies, swampy areas, and nature reserves among others.
“The data is compelling. We are talking about a potential 50% increase in sustainable energy uptake, up to 85% reduction in outages, and up to 65% reduction in electricity infrastructure costs due to the EMROD solution,” adds Kushnir.
EMROD’s biggest client might be Powerco, the second-largest power distributor in New Zealand. And the company will be pitching their products in front of energy production and distribution stakeholders in attendance at the forthcoming Africa Energy Forum.
This technology could see the entire African continent become electrified within a span of just ten years.
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