The university’s Centre for Wireless Research has been developing technology to power devices without having to install batteries.
Centre head Professor Ben Allen (pictured) told a forum of businesses in Milton Keynes that the university was exploring ways to harness energy from light, motion and heat.
Its work on energy from radio waves was “particularly promising”, he said.
Professor Allen was speaking at a discussion hosted by technology forum Biztech on the government’s Green Deal initiative, which aims to improve the energy efficiency of business premises and homes.
He said: “TV and radio broadcasting transmitters produce energy 24/7 which simply disappears so we came up with devices to harvest this energy and charge our new ‘green batteries’ from a distance.”
The batteries could absorb enough power to drive state-of-the-art household gas, electricity or water meters, he added. Larger versions could harvest more energy or operate further from the transmitter.
