Laser-based wireless power transfer opens the door to a new world.

According to an official press release from Ericsson, during this demonstration, the two parties successfully activated a fully “powerless” Ericsson Streetmacro 6701 5G millimeter-wave base station—without drawing power from the street grid or relying on on-site power generation—using laser technology developed by PowerLight Technologies. The demonstration achieved energy transmission of 480 watts over a distance of 300 meters (985 feet). The system consists primarily of two components: a transmitter and a receiver. At the transmitter end, electrical power is used to generate a highly intense light beam, which is then transmitted to the receiver. The receiver employs a specialized photovoltaic array to capture this beam, converting the incoming photons into electrical energy that can power any device connected to it. Kevin Zvokel, Head of Networks at Ericsson North America, stated that the laser-beam wireless power transmission solution enables safe, long-distance power delivery without the need for grid connections, thereby eliminating the obstacles posed by battery site selection during network deployment. This approach significantly reduces deployment time and enhances flexibility. Claes Olsson, Executive Chairman of PowerLight Technologies, noted that most people are already familiar with wireless charging technologies used in small electronic devices such as mobile phones and smartwatches. However, the demonstration conducted by Ericsson and PowerLight Technologies represents a breakthrough—a crucial step toward the commercialization of safe, wireless power transmission on a larger scale. Moreover, PowerLight Technologies is currently developing a system that will enable secure, wireless power transmission over distances of several kilometers within the next few years. This wireless transmission solution from Ericsson and PowerLight Technologies replaces traditional power cables, helping operators rapidly deploy base stations—particularly in urban pole-mounted sites and micro-stations. It is ideally suited for temporary scenarios requiring rapid deployment, such as emergency communications support or periods of high traffic demand. Additionally, this technology can conveniently power a wide range of IoT devices, including unmanned AGVs, drones, and sensors.

5G network construction requires continuous innovation.

Just as mobile phones have evolved from feature phones to smartphones, and despite the ever-increasing power of smartphone functions, battery technology has yet to see a breakthrough revolution, smartphone manufacturers have increasingly turned their attention to innovating charging technologies. After all, no matter how powerful the features or how advanced the hardware of a smartphone may be, without sufficient power supply, it’s just a “brick”—and the same holds true for 5G base stations. As we all know, 5G boasts three core capabilities: eMBB—enhanced Mobile Broadband; uRLLC—ultra-Reliable & Low Latency Communication; and mMTC—massive Machine Type Communication—designed to address three major application scenarios and build a fully connected world where everything is interconnected. Yet despite its many advantages, 5G, like all technologies, follows the law of unity of opposites: "No one is perfect," and 5G has its own troublesome shortcomings. First, there’s the issue of high costs. It’s widely known that operators face enormous cost pressures when building 5G networks. To put it simply, according to data collected by China Mobile, the cost of a single 5G base station is roughly 160,000 yuan. Based on publicly available forecasts estimating that the number of 5G base stations will be twice that of 4G, achieving the same coverage as 4G would require about 10 million base stations. Thus, the total investment required for procuring 5G base stations would reach an astronomical 1.6 trillion yuan. However, this figure represents only the cost of equipment procurement by telecom operators—it doesn’t include expenses such as electricity bills, maintenance fees, labor costs, site rental fees, and so forth once the network is up and running. Therefore, reducing network deployment costs through various innovative approaches has become a top priority for operators. For example, in terms of power supply and service transmission for base stations, traditional solutions involve operators using composite optical cables to bring in external grid power. Annually, the publicly announced projects for fiber-optic cable installation at base stations often run into tens of millions of fiber-kilometers. How can these costs be effectively reduced? Second, there’s the issue of network deployment efficiency. Aside from the exorbitant costs of fiber-optic cable procurement and labor-intensive maintenance, the construction of base stations often gets delayed due to excessively long lead times for introducing or upgrading external power supplies. For instance, one of 5G’s biggest selling points is its flexible deployment capability: with its high bandwidth, low latency, and massive connectivity, 5G can connect any IoT device anytime, anywhere. However, 5G base stations themselves are hard pressed to achieve truly flexible deployment anytime and anywhere. After all, a mobile communication base station isn’t just the base station equipment itself—it’s a complete structure comprising equipment rooms, power lines, steel towers, masts, and other components. Among these, power supply equipment plays a crucial role. In scenarios such as disaster relief, large-scale galas, or sporting events, how can we eliminate that “last mile” of cabling? Thus, exploring ways to speed up and enhance the flexibility of network deployment in different environments has become a critical issue that operators urgently need to address.

Can laser power supply also be implemented in 5G base stations?

The application of laser-based wireless power transfer technology to 5G base stations is still in the R&D phase and has a long way to go before it can be fully implemented. However, from the broader perspective of communication technology, extending “wireless power transfer” from smartphones to 5G base stations represents an important step in the evolution of power transmission. This development will carry significant implications—not only for ordinary users but also for telecom operators. Remember Xiaomi’s wireless charging technology unveiled earlier this year? Compared to today’s mainstream contact-based wireless charging solutions, this technology truly enables smartphones to “wirelessly harvest power” without physical contact. And recently, this “black-tech” innovation has been further expanded—now making it possible to power 5G base stations, marking a milestone in the history of 5G infrastructure development. On October 4, Ericsson announced a collaboration with laser innovation company PowerLight Technologies, successfully completing a proof-of-concept demonstration in Seattle. They showcased the world’s first secure 5G base station powered entirely wirelessly—a solution that uses optical beams—a laser-based technology that converts electricity into high-intensity light, which is then captured by the wireless base station and converted back into electrical energy, enabling remote power supply.

Electricity prices in some regions have been “raised to the maximum allowable level,” and experts say this will help ease the tight electricity supply situation.

Since the launch of electricity price reform three days ago, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces—and other regions—have each organized their first transactions following the deepening of market-oriented reforms in coal-fired power grid-connected electricity prices. The average transaction price has risen to the maximum allowable level above the benchmark price. Experts believe that the expansion of the upper limit for market-based electricity prices under the reform will help balance conflicting interests and demands among various stakeholders in the current power market, thereby alleviating the tight supply situation. According to incomplete statistics compiled by reporters from the Securities Daily based on official WeChat accounts of local power trading centers, since the start of the electricity price reform three days ago, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces—and other regions—have each conducted their first transactions following the deepening of market-oriented reforms in coal-fired power grid-connected electricity prices. The average transaction price has risen to the maximum allowable level above the benchmark price (not exceeding the maximum 20% increase). Experts interviewed by the Securities Daily believe that the expansion of the upper limit for market-based electricity prices under the reform will help balance conflicting interests and demands among various stakeholders in the current power market, thereby alleviating the tight supply situation. Experts also pointed out that on the very first day of the electricity price reform, the transaction prices in Jiangsu and Shandong provinces rose nearly 20%, reaching the maximum allowable increase. This was mainly due to two factors: First, Jiangsu and Shandong are the provinces with the highest thermal power generation capacity in China, excluding the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; they also have the largest power deficits, second only to Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, and face significant pressure to reduce emissions. While Inner Mongolia does not suffer from power shortages and even exports electricity, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces have the greatest demand for imported electricity. Second, the fact that transaction prices approached the maximum allowable 20% increase indicates strong demand in the electricity markets of these purchasing provinces and robust economic growth momentum locally. In fact, some regions had already introduced electricity price reform plans between August and September. For example, provinces such as Guizhou and Guangdong successively issued notices implementing time-of-use pricing policies. Under these policies, electricity prices are adjusted upward or downward by certain percentages based on the flat-rate price, creating peak and off-peak rates, thus guiding electricity users to shift consumption from peak to off-peak periods and ensuring the safe operation of the power system. In addition, the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission has expanded the scope of its time-of-use pricing policy to include large industrial electricity users (excluding electricity used for electrified railway traction, which is subject to special national regulations). The time-of-use pricing policy for general commercial and industrial, residential, and agricultural production electricity users remains unchanged for now. Starting in 2024, all general commercial and industrial electricity users will fully adopt time-of-use pricing, with specific prices and peak/off-peak periods to be determined separately.

Technical Specifications for Centralized Charging Facilities for Electric Bicycles

According to data, China’s stock of electric bicycles has already exceeded 300 million units. Sixty-six percent of Chinese households own electric bicycles. In 2020, electric bicycle sales reached 38.15 million units and continue to grow at an annual rate of 30%. In 2020, the proportion of lithium batteries installed in electric bicycles significantly increased, with market penetration surpassing 25%. Total sales exceeded 10 million battery packs. Industries such as food delivery, express delivery, and shared mobility are experiencing an explosive surge in demand for electric bicycle battery charging and swapping services. By 2025, the installed capacity of electric bicycle batteries is projected to reach 4 billion kilowatt-hours—roughly half of the nation’s daily residential electricity consumption. This massive scale will place tremendous pressure on the power grid during peak charging periods. Against this backdrop, centralized management of electric bicycle charging has become an urgent priority. For any industry to achieve healthy development, it must establish rigorous and comprehensive industry standards. To address the increasingly prominent charging and swapping challenges facing the electric bicycle industry, setting up standardized charging and swapping protocols has become imperative. The "Technical Specifications for Centralized Charging Facilities for Electric Bicycles" have emerged precisely in response to this need, with their content focusing on standardizing the technical requirements related to electric bicycle charging and swapping methods. It is reported that the first China Electric Bicycle Charging and Swapping Technology Innovation Conference, hosted by the China Electricity Council, State Grid Electric Vehicle Service Co., Ltd., and the China Bicycle Association, and organized by Guoshi Energy Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., will be held in Beijing on October 21. At this conference, the forthcoming "Technical Specifications for Centralized Charging Facilities for Electric Bicycles" will be interpreted in detail, covering various aspects including technical requirements, testing methods, and operational management. The specifications will clearly define charging and swapping technology requirements, standardize market entry barriers, regulate cooperation models, and unify supporting service facilities, thus exploring a market-oriented approach to solving industry challenges. The conference organizer has also invited government regulators, leading industry operators, manufacturing companies, and research scholars and experts to jointly discuss industry development, deliberate on industry standards, and work together to promote the healthy and orderly growth of the sector.

The electric bicycle charging and battery-swapping industry is set to undergo restructuring and reshuffling!

According to incomplete statistics, over the past decade, there have been a total of 32 incidents worldwide involving fires and explosions at energy storage power stations—1 in Japan, 1 in Belgium, 2 in the United States, 3 in China, and 24 in South Korea (with major Korean battery companies primarily focusing on ternary lithium batteries). In China, incidents of electric bicycles catching fire or exploding while being charged occur with alarming frequency. According to statistics from the National Fire Rescue Bureau, there have been 6,462 electric vehicle fire incidents nationwide so far this year. As previously reported by CCTV Finance, 75% of electric bicycle fires occur during the charging process. On May 10, 2021, an electric bike caught fire inside an elevator in a residential community in Chenghua District, Chengdu. The incident left five people injured to varying degrees, including a baby only five months old. On July 18, 2021, an electric bicycle that was traveling normally in Hangzhou suddenly exploded and caught fire, severely burning the father and daughter who were riding it; both were once in critical condition. In the early hours of September 20, 2021, a tenant on the third floor of the Xingfu Yiju residential community in Tongzhou District, Beijing, brought an electric bicycle’s lithium battery into the apartment for charging, whereupon it exploded, killing all five members of a family living on the fifth floor. …… Electric bicycle charging-related fire accidents are sudden and characterized by rapid fire spread, posing significant potential hazards. These incidents release toxic gases and carry explosion risks, with a high likelihood of re-ignition. Once a fire breaks out, it is extremely difficult to extinguish and can easily trigger secondary disasters.