# Broadcast power

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadcast-power/504131>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 24, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadcast-power/504131 "2009-07-24T15:29:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadcast-power/504131/1 "2009-07-24T15:29:21Z")

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[column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/934/whats-up-with-broadcast-power) by Cecil.

\*A system that can deliver power to devices without the need for wires has been shown off at a hi-tech conference.Eric Giler, chief executive of US firm Witricity, showed mobile phones and televisions charging wirelessly at the TED Global conference in Oxford. \*

[Story](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8165928.stm) from BBC.

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadcast-power/504131/2 "2009-07-25T03:33:38Z")

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This has been brought up before. We’ve known for ages that you can transmit at low power for short distances. The question is whether you can transmit in the terawatt range over thousands of miles. Answer: you can’t. At least, not without catastrophic side-effects.