As the cost of energy rises, more people are looking at how they consume energy and, more importantly, how they can cut back on both their usage and their utility bills. RCA unveiled a possible ally in this quest at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Airnergy, a Wi-Fi power harvester, converts Wi-Fi signals into DC power, allowing users to charge small devices, such as cell phones, without drawing from traditional power supplies.

A demonstration by RCA showed a BlackBerry that had a 30 percent charge increase to a full charge in 90 minutes using a nearby hot spot. The speed of the charge depends on the proximity and strength of the Wi-Fi signal.

Airnergy has been garnering a lot of attention because it will likely be the first device to free users from power cords. The problem with other products in this vein is that they have difficulty getting enough energy and holding enough power to charge even small devices. RCA appears to have broken through this barrier, and will likely have an Airnergy model available for purchase by this summer for $40 to $50. It will be compact, smaller than a smartphone, with USB connectivity.

Upping the ante on its own technology, RCA hopes to develop a product that uses the energy harvesting technology and puts it into a battery, greatly reducing its size. It could replace cell batteries—at the same cost to consumers.

How does the Airnergy technology work? An antenna and specialized circuitry harvest the energy from a nearby Wi-Fi signal, and then a battery stores the electrical charge to transfer to the device that needs charging. While the Airnergy solution is not itself overly powerful, The Guardian points out that the ubiquity of wireless Internet, which operates on the same frequency as cordless phones and microwaves, makes it possible for Airnergy to provide this free energy “by simply working off ambient electromagnetic noise while users go about their daily business.” And that is very attractive to today’s electronics consumers.

What other ubiquitous sources of electronic noise might be harvested for power?
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