Re: Can electromagnetic waves be used to generate electricity

Yes, it is possible to convert electromagnetic waves into electrical 
energy. The electrical genius Nikola Tesla proposed doing that very thing 
and showed that it works. He used a Tesla coil to generate a resonating 
electromagnetic wave that can be converted on the recieving end to current 
(he was unable to sell the idea to electric companies). This is not very 
safe because any conductor in the presence of such waves can dicharge. The 
same effect can be seen by placing a conducting loop with a light bulb in 
the presence of high voltage power lines. The electromagnetic waves from 
the power lines will cause a current to flow through the loop and voila, 
free electricity. (Don't try this, high voltage power lines are really 
dangerous!!!). Unfortunately, any electromagnetic wave loses its energy at 
a rate inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the 
source. Thus, each time you get twice as far away, the energy drops to one 
fourth of what it was at your previous location. This is an extremely 
inefficient way to transmit electrical power and is the reason why radio, 
TV, lasers, even microwaves are limited by relatively short distances. All 
of these media do transmit electrical energy, it is just too weak to run 
any kind of equipment. Tesla figured out a way to create resonating 
frequencies so that his transmitter actually got more and more powerful as 
he continiued to transmit. He was able to create an electromagnetic wave 
so powerful that he could use the ground (yes the earth itself) to 
transmit electrical power.