Key takeaway
Australia’s constraint is no longer how to generate electrons; it is how to move them precisely, safely, and at speed. Wireless laser power offers a complementary transmission layer where poles, wires and undersea HVDC cannot reach or cannot reach quickly enough. Early beachhead use cases – such as powering continuous-flight drones for base and border security – de-risk the technology, build standards practice, and create a blueprint for larger deployments that improve energy access, redundancy and operational tempo across the Indo-Pacific.
Table of Contents
Transmission, not generation, is the constraint
A summer afternoon in the Pilbara: solar fields shimmer at the horizon, batteries hum in shipping-container rows, yet a remote inspection drone sits grounded because the closest high-capacity line is 300 kilometres away. The issue is not a lack of sunshine or storage. It is the difficulty and delay of moving power to the exact point of need.
Billy Jeremijenko argues that “transmission is the choke point,” not generation. Capacity exists, but grid reach, permitting and lead times leave persistent gaps – on bases, borders, and resource corridors. Laser-based wireless power treats energy like data: directable, addressable, and routable to where operations actually occur.
For Australian public agencies, the implication is clear. Investment that only adds generation risks diminishing returns if transmission cannot follow. A complementary, rapidly deployable transmission layer changes planning horizons for defence and critical services.
Wireless laser power - how it works
Picture a secure compound at dusk. A rooftop unit emits a narrowly confined optical beam to a receiver surface – effectively a photovoltaic sensor tuned to that wavelength. The receiver converts light to direct current, which then supplies a drone dock, a communications mast, or a sensor array. If the line is interrupted, the beam shuts down within microseconds.
A routing concept akin to an “internet of energy”: point-to-multipoint links, with future relays from high-altitude platforms and, later, orbital mirrors to extend reach and continuity. Today’s aggregate end-to-end efficiency sits around the 20 per cent mark and is trending higher as optics, conversion materials and control algorithms improve. Altitude matters: stratospheric relays reduce atmospheric losses compared to sea-level links, while space-based reflection avoids most attenuation altogether.
This is an overlay designed for places the grid cannot reach or cannot reach soon, not a grid replacement..
“We can push power across air where wires cannot go, and do it on operational timelines,” says Billy Jeremijenko.
Early wins are within reach
A camera drone circles an airfield perimeter at 3 am. Instead of landing every 40 minutes to swap batteries, it remains aloft for hours, sipping energy from a tracking beam that follows a planned flight path. The base gains real-time situational awareness without the staffing churn of constant battery change-outs.
Continuous-flight drones for base and border security are practical beachheads. They de-risk the tech, exercise safety interlocks, and generate measurable value – fewer sorties, longer overwatch, faster incident response. From there, pilots expand to powering remote sensors, temporary field hospitals, or pop-up communications in flood zones when poles and towers are down.
Vaxa Bureau’s view: these beachheads are compelling because they resolve an immediate operational pain point while building a controlled evidence base that regulators, commanders and insurers can rely on.
How is safety engineered and assured?
An engineering team steps through pre-flight checks. The “virtual protective housing” is live: safety curtains, interlocks, geo-fencing, and automated beam shuttering if a bird, person, or vehicle crosses the path. Operators verify logs, then arm the system; the beam engages only when the receiver confirms correct alignment and authorisation.
This is a layered approach: physical constraints, software interlocks, and standards-aligned procedures. Good practice mirrors aviation and laser-safety norms – risk assessments, safety cases, and incident drills. Importantly, the system fails safe: any unexpected occlusion interrupts transmission.
Protective housing doesn’t need to be physical. It can be virtual and verifiable.
For Australian deployments, alignment with AS/NZS laser safety standards and Defence work health and safety frameworks will be essential, just as radiofrequency systems adhere to ACMA rules. The technology’s safety case should be audited by independent assessors and integrated with base or site safety management systems from day one.
To explore this theme in depth, listen to the latest episode of the Intelligence; Optimised Podcast, where Billy Jeremijenko joins host Todd Crowley to discuss wireless power, laser transmission, and the strategic upside for Australian government and critical industry. The discussion moves beyond novelty: it surfaces a workable pathway from near-term pilots to region-wide energy mobility – linking defence readiness, remote operations, and Indo-Pacific resilience.
Efficiency and scale economics
Set the scene in a mobile command post. Operators need 1-3 kW continuous for sensors and comms; a beam-to-receiver path of a few hundred metres is available. End-to-end efficiency around 20 per cent may sound modest, but logistics savings – no fuel convoys, no battery swap rotations, no generator noise – change the calculus.
Altitude improves performance. Stratospheric relays cut scattering and weather impacts; adaptive optics and better receiver materials push conversion upward. Most importantly, scaling is modular. Add transmitters and receivers the way data centres add racks or solar farms add strings. Once a line-of-sight corridor exists, per-kilometre marginal cost approaches zero compared with trenching, towers or subsea installs. That is valuable for temporary missions, contested environments and disaster response.
How do costs and risks compare with poles, wires and HVDC?
On a coastal headland, survey pegs mark a proposed transmission line. Each peg implies consents, heritage assessments, materials procurement and months – often years – of sequencing risk. Undersea HVDC avoids land issues but adds geopolitical exposure, seabed permissions and high-consequence failure modes.
Optical systems invert the profile. Capital sits in emitters, receivers, control software and safety systems; the “right-of-way” is air, governed by safety envelopes rather than easements. There are trade-offs: optical links do not deliver bulk energy like 500 kV HVDC, and they demand disciplined safety and line-of-sight management. The choice is not either/or; it is a portfolio decision by mission and site.
Where optical shines is time to effect. If the operational requirement is persistent aerial surveillance on a base within the next 12-24 months, a beamed-power pilot is credible. If the requirement is decarbonising a metropolitan load centre by 2035, conventional network augmentation stays central – with optical as a resilience layer for black-start support, mobile generation and emergency comms.
Join the Early Access List
Secure first access to Vaxa Bureau and turn external chaos into precise, actionable insight for your organisation.
What does a low-drama implementation look like in public and critical sectors?
- Start with a bounded pilot and a real mission. Choose a base, port or remote facility where persistent aerial ISR or always-on sensors have measurable value. Document the current cost of service (battery swaps, fuel, downtime).
- Engineer the safety case early. Build “virtual protective housing” into design: interlocks, beam shutters, geo-fences, automated de-energising. Map to AS/NZS laser standards, Defence WHS, and site SOPs. Plan independent assurance.
- Instrument for data from day one. Log efficiency, uptime, occlusion events, and operator workflows. Establish a before/after baseline for time-to-detect, coverage hours, and staffing effort.
- Design for scale and redundancy. Treat transmitters/receivers as modular nodes. Pre-plan additional corridors (e.g., to a second dock or sensor mast). Build in manual override and safe-state procedures that match the PSPF and ISM.
- Align governance and procurement. Use agile procurement pathways to avoid 18-month stalls. Pre-agree risk allocation, insurance, and incident response. Engage regulators early with test data, not promises.
Risk, assurance and policy fit
Assurance is the make-or-break. Australian Government readers should assume the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) and the Information Security Manual (ISM) will govern control systems, telemetry, and any integration with classified networks. Safety management should align with Defence policy and applicable AS/NZS laser standards.
Data and privacy arise where telemetry, video and operator analytics exist. Apply the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) to any personally identifiable information. For governance, draw on AICD guidance for risk oversight and board accountability: articulate the risk appetite, define thresholds for incident reporting, and set clear lines for authority to operate (ATO). As with drones and comms, expect layered approvals – site, airspace, electromagnetic/optical emissions, and operational SOPs – supported by test results and independent validation.
Metrics that matter
Focus on outcomes, not only watts. Commanders and executives should track coverage hours per day per operator, time-to-detect and time-to-respond for perimeter events, and mission readiness – the fraction of time ISR assets are available without refuelling or battery logistics. On the cost side, measure avoided fuel runs, reduced battery handling, and setup time for temporary sites.
For policy and procurement teams, track cycle-time metrics: time-to-brief (from requirement to decision), time-to-authorisation, and time-to-first-use under a pilot. If optical links cut weeks from deployment in a cyclone-damaged region, that is a tangible public value metric – even if nameplate efficiency lags a grid connection.
Indo-Pacific context: why this matters for Australia
A monsoon has taken out feeder lines on a Pacific island. Relief flights arrive, but power distribution remains patchy. A beamed-power kit – emitters, receivers, fold-out masts – stands up a clean, quiet micro-corridor for medical tents and comms within hours. That is sovereignty-respecting, partnership-strengthening capability.
Wireless transmission complements Australia’s regional priorities: resilient infrastructure, secure supply chains, and trusted tech. It supports defence interoperability by enabling common patterns for powering ISR, comms and sensors in exercises and operations. It also underwrites economic goals – keeping remote mines, agrifood hubs, and health outposts online when fixed infrastructure lags or fails.
What should leaders do this week?
For government and defence leaders: commission a bounded pilot at one base or border site with a clear mission outcome and independent assurance. Require a safety case mapped to AS/NZS, PSPF and ISM, and set decision gates based on operational metrics.
For industry executives: identify one high-value site where energy mobility would remove a bottleneck – perimeter ISR, emergency comms, or remote inspection. Ask your teams to quantify the current logistics burden, then compare a three-month optical pilot against doing nothing for another year.
“Transmission is the choke point. We need power where operations happen, not where lines already exist.”
Join the Early Access List
Secure first access to Vaxa Bureau and turn external chaos into precise, actionable insight for your organisation.
