lengould Posted: Aug 2 2005, 04:11 AM
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Actually the concept is legitimate physics, well known as "Optical Rectena". It works on the principle of receiving light radiation with an array of (very tiny) antennae, just like microwaves or FM etc. Theoretically capable of sunlight conversion efficiencies in the 70%+ range with no doped crystals etc. like current photovoltaics. Being worked on fairly intensively in one or more US research labs, with some good progress reported. Biggest difficulty is building the tiny diode rectifiers required to convert the energy recieved on the antenna into dc electricity, because the required dimensions are a couple of orders of magnitude smaller than present semiconductor fabs are doing.
I can't believe, with how well known and published the concept is, that anyone might be granted a patent on it though
Here's a DARPA dicument from 2000
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/trans/energy/briefings/11itn.pdf
