Olee Space has demonstrated its laser-based wireless power transfer (WPT) technology by transmitting 600W of optical power across a 400-metre outdoor line-of-sight distance. The achievement highlights the performance of the company’s in-house, patent-pending optical receiver system, which delivered 28% optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency.
Built with scalability in mind, Olee’s receiver architecture can be expanded to support up to 1.5kW of power using the same panel design, marking progress toward reliable, high-power wireless energy transmission solutions.
Laser-based wireless power transmission is an emerging field attracting global interest for applications where conventional electrical infrastructure is difficult, expensive or impossible to deploy. Olee’s demonstration combines advances in laser engineering, photonics, beam control, thermal management and optical energy conversion into a single integrated platform designed for continuous outdoor operation.
A key differentiator of Olee’s technology is its proprietary optical engineering approach. The system employs beam-shaped optics that distribute laser energy uniformly across the receiver, reducing thermal hotspots, while an integrated real-time cooling mechanism continuously dissipates heat, enabling sustained operation under high-power conditions. This also includes using the proprietary Position Accuracy Tracking systems to maintain beam on the target even in worse atmospheric conditions.
“Since most of the satellites in space are deprived of energy, we believe this to be ‘The technology’ of the future. We start small, by wirelessly transferring power to 5G base stations, eVTOLs, ISR Drones and IoTs on the ground but eventually aim to power those little ones in space” said James Solomon, Founder of Olee Space.
“This demonstration validates years of work in building core photonics capabilities in-house – from laser engineering and optical design to precision beam control and receiver architecture. Our focus is to develop robust, scalable technologies that solve real-world energy delivery challenges.”
Potential applications for laser-based wireless power transmission include:
● Long-endurance drones and autonomous aerial systems
● eVTOL platforms requiring flexible energy delivery
● ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) drones
● Remote industrial infrastructure and critical monitoring stations
● Disaster response operations where conventional power infrastructure is unavailable
● Defence and aerospace systems
● Future satellite and orbital energy-sharing architectures
Following this successful proof of concept, Olee Space plans to demonstrate higher-power transmission over distances of up to 1.5 kilometres, followed by pilot deployments with strategic partners in the eVTOL and ISR drone sectors.
The milestone reflects Olee’s long-term investment in developing indigenous capabilities across photonics, optics, laser systems and optical energy conversion – technologies expected to play an increasingly important role in the future of intelligent energy distribution.
As global industries continue exploring new approaches to energy delivery, Olee believes optical wireless power transmission can complement existing electrical infrastructure by enabling reliable power delivery in environments where traditional transmission methods reach their practical limits.
