Photonic Power wins ARPA contract for electric-power delivery by fiber
The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) recently awarded a $413,000 Phase II SBIR contract to Photonic Power Systems Inc. (Mountain View, CA) for development of a fiberoptic electric-power delivery system. The 18-month contract calls for Photonic Power to create a system capable of delivering 5 W of electrically isolated power over 5000 ft of optical fiber. A patented photovoltaic cell developed during Phase I of the project converts fiber-delivered optical power to electrical power, with assisted peak conversion efficiencies on the order of 50%. Current systems are capable of delivering 1.7 W of electrical power at 12 V to the end of a 300-ft fiber. The technology provides high levels of noise-free, electrically isolated power for applications such as signal processing and conditioning.