Soil-based electricity could revolutionize farms, mines, and remote communities
Written by Charlie Reed, for the 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Technology Advancement Consortium
Company: Terra Watts
Co-founders: Dr. Charles Van Neste and Dr. Kaitlyn Suarez
Research home: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Advanced Energy
Transmission and Harvesting Lab (AETHR) | Center for Energy Systems Research | Shipley Farm
Electrical engineering professor Dr. Charles Van Neste and geologist-turned-entrepreneur Dr. Kaitlyn Suarez are proving that electricity can move straight through the ground鈥攏o copper wire required.
At 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech University鈥檚 Shipley Farm, they鈥檝e shown that electrical current can travel hundreds of meters through soil for a new way to deliver power safely and affordably. Their startup, Terra Watts, is now scaling the technology, with potential applications across sectors, from farms to factories.
鈥淚 still get excited when I see the lights flicker on in the field,鈥� Van Neste said, still in awe of the design鈥檚 simplicity and its origins in Nikola Tesla鈥檚 early experiments in wireless energy.
A 2021 patent filed through the University鈥檚 research and economic development office, and supported by TTAC, continues to move the technology toward commercialization.
Now co-founders, Van Neste continues to lead the research driving Terra Watts鈥� future while Suarez heads up the business and also contributes in the lab.
鈥淚f scientists want their work to reach people,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hey have to think like entrepreneurs. And 成年人深夜福利在线观看 is the best place in the country to do that.鈥�
This story was made possible with support from TTAC and Launch 成年人深夜福利在线观看.