Guided surface wave powered sensing devices

A system, comprising:

• a guided surface waveguide probe configured to transmit a guided surface wave traveling along a terrestrial medium;
• a sensing device comprising a guided surface wave receive structure coupled to an electrical load, the guided surface wave receive structure being configured to obtain electrical energy from the guided surface wave and the electrical load being experienced as a load at an excitation source coupled to a guided surface waveguide probe generating the guided surface wave;
• the electrical load comprising:
• a physical parameter sensor configured to measure a physical parameter associated with a physical environment local to the physical parameter sensor;
• and
• a radio frequency transmitter communicatively coupled to the physical parameter sensor, the radio frequency transmitter configured to transmit a physical parameter measurement over a wireless network.

A method, comprising:

• receiving electrical energy as a guided surface wave using a guided surface wave receive structure;
• supplying the electrical energy to an electrical load coupled to the guided surface wave receive structure, the electrical load comprising a location triangulation circuit and a radio frequency transmitter, where the location triangulation circuit is communicably coupled to the radio frequency transmitter;
• receiving a plurality of radio transmissions in the location triangulation circuit from at least three sources;
• and
• determining a location of a location device in the location triangulation circuit based at least in part on the plurality of radio transmissions.