Tunable wireless energy transfer for outdoor lighting applications

A power source for wirelessly providing power to a mobile wireless receiver, the power source comprising:

• a power supply;
• and
• a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to the power supply and having a mode with a resonant frequency ω1, an intrinsic loss rate Γ1, and a first Q-factor Q1=ω1/2Γ1,
• wherein the first electromagnetic resonator is configured to be wirelessly coupled to a second electromagnetic resonator to provide non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator, the second electromagnetic resonator having a mode with a resonant frequency ω2, an intrinsic loss rate Γ2, and a second Q-factor Q2=ω2/2Γ2 and being coupled to a load associated with an outdoor lighting unit that draws energy from the load to power a light source associated with the outdoor lighting unit;
• wherein the first electromagnetic resonator is configured to be tunable during system operation so as to tune the power delivered to the second electromagnetic resonator for use by the load.

A mobile wireless power system, comprising:

• a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to a power supply, the first electromagnetic resonator having a mode with a resonant frequency ω1, an intrinsic loss rate Γ1, and a first Q-factor Q1=ω1/2Γ1;
• and
• a second electromagnetic resonator coupled to a load that is associated with an outdoor lighting unit that draws energy from the load to power a light source associated with the outdoor lighting unit, the second electromagnetic resonator having a mode with a resonant frequency ω2, an intrinsic loss rate Γ2, and a second Q-factor Q2=ω2/2Γ2;
• wherein at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be tunable during system operation so as to at least one of tune the power provided to the second electromagnetic resonator and tune the power delivered to the load.