Jack Loughran Mon 9 Feb 2026
Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2026/02/09/national-grid-examines-wireless-power-possible-alternative-cables-and-pylons
The National Grid is investigating whether it could deploy large-scale wireless electricity transmission as part of plans to strengthen the UK’s energy network.
The Wireless Power Transmission project will consider whether ground-based wireless technology can supplement overhead lines and cables or even replace them.
Going wireless has the potential to play a role in moving energy from offshore renewables to the grid onshore, making it easier and cheaper, as well as offering an alternative way to transmit power in natural landscapes where traditional infrastructure can prove controversial for its aesthetic disruption. The project will also assess whether wireless transmission can deliver benefits during emergency responses, such as storms, and help better serve customers in remote areas.
It is being undertaken by National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), which is the regional electricity distribution division for nearly 8 million customers in the Midlands, South West and Wales. The technology is being developed alongside Oxford-based start-up Space Solar, which has been investigating how to beam solar energy from space down to the ground with satellites.
Current estimates suggest that UK electricity demand could double by 2050 due to decarbonisation efforts that will replace energy typically derived from fossil fuels. This includes petrol and diesel vehicles, as well as energy-intensive industrial processes.
But achieving this will require around four times the amount of renewable energy-generating capacity, including the need for new overhead lines and underground cables.
Tim Polack, NGED’s director of strategy and transformation, said: “Innovative thinking is fundamental to supporting the transition to a cleaner energy future, and the Wireless Power Transmission project will explore how state-of-the-art technology could transform the electricity network to deliver resilience, cost and connection benefits to customers.”
Sam Adlen, co-CEO of Space Solar, said: “We have all seen the revolution that wireless technology enabled with communications. As energy demand accelerates, advances in wireless power transmission offer great potential to support our growing electricity infrastructure needs.”
The firm believes that financially, wireless transmission could mean consumer savings due to reduced constraint payments and lower system costs as connection times are shortened from years to months. Customers could also have quicker access to clean affordable energy by enabling faster integration of renewables and reducing curtailment.
Before grid scale implementation can begin, a number of challenges will need to be solved – most importantly the potential energy that is lost during transmission, which is much greater when wireless compared to wired. There are also safety considerations to be made, with strong, electromagnetic fields having the potential to interfere with aircraft, wildlife and people if not carefully contained.
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