Records fell in every direction over the last twelve months. 1,180 watts over 100 meters by microwave. More than a kilowatt by laser. 800 watts across 8.6 kilometers. Here is how that actually stacks up against what Tesla promised at Wardenclyffe, and what is still missing.
On July 11 the Tesla Science Center dedicated the Eugene Sayan Center, the first building on Tesla's Shoreham campus ever open to the public. It landed on his 170th birthday, and just under three years after the fire that took the laboratory's roof.
In a modern twist on Nikola Tesla’s century-old wireless-power ambitions, NTT and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries reported a real-world demonstration that delivered 152 watts of usable electricity over 1 kilometer at Nanki-Shirahama Airport in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The test transmitted just over a kilowatt of laser power to a photovoltaic receiver about a meter above ground, converting the beam at roughly 15% efficiency and running continuously for 30 minutes. Tesla famously pursued wireless power in the early 1900s, including his Wardenclyffe Tower prototype on Long Island, and today’s laser-based approach hints at practical near-term uses like powering equipment in disaster zones or keeping drones aloft longer.
On March 6, 2026, the YouTube channel The Reason of Reasons released “Nikola Tesla and Wireless Energy: A Technology Ahead of Its Time,” a concise documentary that walks through Tesla’s most documented electrical milestones before zooming in on his most ambitious: wireless power. Instead of treating Wardenclyffe Tower like a fantasy gadget, the video ties the project to Tesla’s real high-voltage work and his vision for a world-scale “wireless” system that could carry both information and energy. It’s a useful reminder that the legend of “free energy” grew from a serious engineering question Tesla pursued for decades: whether the Earth and atmosphere could be used as part of a transmission system without copper lines.
On March 24, 2026, YouTube channel The Long Shadow released the nearly two-hour documentary “Nikola Tesla - The Genius Who Lit the World and Died With Nothing.” The film walks through Tesla’s most documented milestones — his alliance with George Westinghouse, the War of Currents, the 1893 World’s Fair demonstrations, and the rise-and-fall of Wardenclyffe Tower — in a single, chronological sweep. It’s a solid refresher because it stays anchored to the recognizable historical record: alternating current, the Tesla coil, Colorado Springs experiments, and the lonely final years that followed Tesla’s grandest ambitions. If you want one “start here” watch before diving into patents and primary sources, this is a strong new entry for 2026.