The 2nd Joint International Conference on “Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE 2006)”

A-006 (O) 21-23 November 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

Study on High-efficiency and Low-noise Wireless Power Transmission for Solar Power Station/Satellite

Tomohiko Mitani1,*, Naoki Shinohara1, Kozo Hashimoto1 and Hiroshi Matsumoto2

1
Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere , Kyoto University, Japan
2
Kyoto University, Japan

Abstract: A Solar Power Station/Satellite (SPS) is expected to become one of the sustainable energy sources for the next generation.
One of the most important technologies for realization of the SPS is Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) from space to the Earth. The
objective of the present study is to develop high-efficiency and low-noise WPT. A SPS requires high overall WPT efficiency, and a
high-efficiency WPT system also contributes to cost reduction and lightness in weight of the SPS from the viewpoint of thermal
management. Low-noise WPT is also important since a SPS is necessary to ensure electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) with other
radio applications. In our research group, a magnetron is used for a microwave power source of a SPS transmitting system, because
its DC-RF conversion efficiency is higher, it costs less, and it has smaller weight/power ratio than solid state devices. However, a
magnetron has a wide oscillation bandwidth and it generates spurious noises in various frequency bands. We have achieved
magnetron noise reduction, developed a Phase-Controlled Magnetron (PCM), phased array transmitting systems (SPORTS systems)
and a compact 5.8GHz PCM (COMET). A development of 5.8GHz CW magnetrons also contributes to reduction in size and weight of
the SPS transmitting system, compared to the conventional 2.45GHz magnetron. In this paper, our recent research activities on the
WPT transmitting systems are introduced.

Keywords: Space Solar Power, Wireless Power Transmission, Microwave, Phase-controlled Magnetron, Low Noise

1. INTRODUCTION

Rapid economic growth and population growth in the 20th and 21st centuries involves rapid increase in demand for energy. On
the other hand, fossil fuels heavily lead to the carbon dioxide emission and their exhaustion will increasingly pose a severe problem
to human life. Nuclear energy also has a serious problem in disposal of nuclear fuel wastes and nuclear accidents although it is COx
and NOx emission-free. Sustainable energy resources such as solar energy, wind energy, hydro-energy, biomass energy etc. have
therefore been a focus of constant attention as alternatives to fossil fuels. They however have a disadvantage for a stable supply of
energy because the amount of their energy varies seasonally, or daily, or even momentarily.
A Solar Power Station/Satellite (SPS) [1] is expected to become one of the sustainable energy sources for the next generation. A
conceptual image of a SPS is shown in Fig.1. The SPS is launched into space and it generates an enormous electric power by solar
cells. The electric power is converted into microwave power in the transmitting system, and the microwave power is transmitted from
the transmitting system to the receiving site on the Earth. The received microwave power is converted into commercial power. The
SPS is clean and exhaustless since it is a power station whose resource is solar energy. Furthermore, the SPS supplies a stable electric
power almost all through the year except that it is eclipsed by the Earth, because the power generated in space, in other words, there
is no seasonal and daily variation by clouds, rain, and nights.

Fig. 1 A conceptual image of a Solar Power Station/Satellite (SPS)

One of the most important technologies for realization of a SPS is Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) [2, 3] from space to the
Earth. A WPT system is mainly divided into three sections, as shown in Fig.2: a transmitting section, a receiving section and a beam
forming section. The transmitting section consists of DC-RF converters and transmitting antennas. The DC-RF converters mainly
include electric tubes such as magnetrons, klystrons, TWTs etc., or solid state devices. The receiving section consists of receiving
antennas and RF-DC rectifiers, called “rectennas”. The beam forming section is the intermediate section between the transmitting
section and the receiving section. In order to prevent the power dissipation through the beam forming section, the transmitting section
usually involves a high-gain transmitting antenna or a phased array system.

Corresponding author: mitani@rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp

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 The 2nd Joint International Conference on “Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE 2006)”
A-006 (O) 21-23 November 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

Fig. 2 A conceptual diagram of Wireless Power Transmission (WPT)

The objective of the present study is to develop high-efficiency and low-noise WPT. A SPS requires high overall WPT efficiency,
and a high-efficiency WPT system also contributes to cost reduction and lightness in weight of the SPS from the viewpoint of
thermal management. Low-noise WPT is also important since a SPS is necessary to ensure electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
with other radio applications. Our recent research activities on the WPT transmitting systems are introduced in this paper.

2. WPT TRANSMITTING SYSTEMS

In our research group, a magnetron, which is well-known as a microwave heating source in a microwave oven, is used for a
microwave power source of a WPT system, because its DC-RF conversion efficiency is higher, it costs less, and it has smaller
weight/power ratio than solid state devices. However, a magnetron has a wide oscillation bandwidth and it generates spurious noises
in various frequency bands. Thus, we have been studying on a low-noise transmitting system with a magnetron.

2.1 Magnetron noise reduction

Drawbacks of a free-running magnetron are its wideband oscillation and spurious noise generation in various frequency bands.
The wideband oscillation will lead to great fluctuation of a microwave beam from a WPT transmitting system, because of
degradation of its frequency and phase stability. The spurious noise will interfere in the other communication systems when it is
radiated from the WPT transmitting system. Therefore, narrowband oscillation and spurious noise reduction of a magnetron are
essential for a low noise WPT system.
With regard to the narrowband oscillation, Brown mentioned that the “internal feedback mechanism” [4] contributed to a quiet
magnetron operation. The internal feedback mechanism most effectively takes place by turning off the filament current during the
oscillation.
Additionally, we found that the narrowband oscillation and the spurious noise reduction were effectively realized when a
magnetron was operated by a dc stabilized power supply and the filament current was turned off during the operation [5]. Our
experimental results showed that this operating method worked well in reducing sideband noise up to 60dB as well as the
narrowband oscillation, shown in Fig.3 (a), spurious noise up to 50dB in high frequency bands (4GHz~10GHz), shown in Fig.3 (b),
and line conductive noise up to 40dB in low frequency bands (~1GHz), shown in Fig.3 (c), although the method resulted in some
degradation of dc-RF efficiency.

(a) Fundamental bands (2.43GHz~2.47GHz) (b) Spurious noise (4GHz~10GHz) (c) Line conductive noise (~1GHz)
Fig. 3 Magnetron spectra. (thin line: the filament current is turned on, thick line: the filament current is turned off.)

2.2 Phase-controlled magnetron

The operating method for the magnetron noise reduction also contributes to development of a phase-controlled magnetron (PCM).
The PCM is basically implemented in a phase locking of a magnetron in a phase of a reference signal.
Our developed PCM consists of an injection locking method and an anode current control system with phase-locked loop (PLL)
[6], in order to realize both the frequency locking and the phase locking. First, the reference signal is injected into a magnetron. Then,

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 The 2nd Joint International Conference on “Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE 2006)”
A-006 (O) 21-23 November 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

the anode current control system automatically locks frequency and phase of the magnetron to those of the reference signal.
Owing to the accomplishment of the PCM, the experimental equipments with a phased array using PCMs at 2.45GHz and 5.8GHz,
which are named SPORTS (Space POwer Radio Transmission System)2.45 and SPORTS5.8 respectively, were developed [3].
The SPORTS 2.45, shown in Fig.4, has 12 PCMs, and each PCM has a 5-bit phase shifter. The total microwave output is about
3.6kW. There are two choices for the transmitting antenna section. One is the 4 by 3 horn antenna array. The horn antenna array
system has low energy loss, but a broad beam pattern. The other is the 96 dipole antenna array with additional 2-bit phase shifter. The
microwave power from a PCM is divided into 8 and connected to 8 dipole antennas. Each dipole antenna has a 2-bit phase shifter to
get the microwave beam focused more precisely. The dipole antenna system has a sharp beam pattern but large energy loss. The
rectenna array receives and converts microwave power to dc.
The SPORTS 5.8, shown in Fig.5, has a choice of two transmitting systems. One consists of 9 PCMs and 288 antenna elements.
Its total microwave output is more than 1.26kW. The other consists of a solid-state amplifier and 144 antenna elements. Its
microwave output is more than 7.2W. Although the solid-state amplifier system has low efficiency and low microwave output, it can
control microwave beam with high resolution.

Fig. 4 SPORTS 2.45

Fig. 5 SPORTS 5.8

A light microwave power transmitter at 5.8GHz named COMET (COmpact Microwave Energy Transmitter), shown in Fig.6 was
also developed by our research group [7]. The size of the COMET is 310mm in diameter and 99mm in thickness. It provides 270W
microwave output and its weight is 7kg. So the weight per power ratio is less than 26g/W.
Moreover, we succeeded to develop a Phase-and-Amplitude-Controlled Magnetron (PACM) by tuning both the anode current and
the external magnetic field simultaneously [7, 8].

Fig. 6 COMET

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 The 2nd Joint International Conference on “Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE 2006)”
A-006 (O) 21-23 November 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

2.3 5.8GHz CW magnetron

5.8GHz CW magnetrons, shown in Fig.6, were developed by Panasonic Semiconductor Discrete Devices Co. Ltd. in 2000. The
development of 5.8GHz CW magnetrons contributes to reduction in size and weight of the SPS transmitting system, compared to the
conventional 2.45GHz magnetron. Our research group experimentally measured and evaluated fundamental performance of the
5.8GHz magnetrons, such as DC-RF conversion efficiency, a curve of anode current vs. free-running frequency, a Q value, etc.

Fig. 6 5.8GHz CW magnetron and 2.45GHz oven magnetron

From experimental results, DC-RF conversion efficiency of 5.8GHz CW magnetrons was measured to be about 40%; on the
contrary, 2.45GHz cooker-type magnetrons have around 70% DC-RF conversion efficiency, when a magnetron is operated by a DC
stabilized power supply. The Q value of 5.8GHz magnetrons degraded more than 10 times compared to that of 2.45GHz magnetrons.
The results come from overheat of the cathode filament due to excessive back bombardment energy. The back bombardment
energy in 5.8GHz CW magnetrons was estimated to be generated twice more than that in cooker-type 2.45GHz magnetrons.

3. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKS

High-efficiency and low-noise WPT transmitting systems with magnetrons were developed by our group. The following subjects
on CW magnetrons should be conducted for WPT and SPS transmitting systems in the near future: higher-efficiency operation,
thermal treatment under vacuum environment, life test, and noise reduction. Some of these subjects are linked together: for example,
the high-efficiency operation will help longevity of a magnetron due to reduction of heat loss. Since a magnetron is too complicated
to analyze theoretically, the 3-D computer simulations [9, 10] will therefore be expected as a powerful tool for solving these subjects.
Also, a low-loss and lightweight power divider and a low-loss phase shifter are necessary for the high-efficient phased array WPT
system.

4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work is partly supported by the 21COE program “Establishment of COE on Sustainable Energy System”, Kyoto University.
The experimental measurements have been conducted in the anechoic radio wave chamber of the “Microwave Energy Transmission
Laboratory (METLAB),” which is one of the facilities of the cooperative study programs of the Research Institute of Sustainable
Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University.

5. REFERENCES

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[3] Matsumoto, H. (2002) Research on Solar Power Station and Microwave Power Transmission in Japan: Review and perspectives,
IEEE Microwave Magazine, 3, (4), pp. 36-45.
[4] Brown, W. C. (1988) The SPS Transmitter Designed around the Magnetron Directional Amplifier, Space Power, 7, (1), pp. 37-
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