Image

As far back as the late 19th century, inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla envisioned a global system of wireless energy transmission, using the Earth itself as a giant electrical circuit.

This idea captured the imagination of Kaitlyn Suarez, then a graduate student at UMass Amherst, who wondered why this technology wasn't being pursued. Suarez, who ultimately earned her master's and PhD degrees in geological and Earth sciences/geosciences from UMass, was studying the supply and demand of copper, a critical metal that's essential for efficient electricity generation, distribution, and storage. With the transition to renewable energy, demand has greatly outpaced supply, and Suarez was struck by the idea that a wireless system of electricity transmission could be a solution.

"I got digging into it, and I found people who [...] not only believe in it but also have proven it works at least at a prototype-level scale," she recalls.

Suarez went on to become the CEO and cofounder of Terra Watts, a start-up developing a subsurface long-range wireless power and data transmission system, using Earth as a propagation medium. She describes the technology like this: "You can imagine being able to put a transmitter underground, turn it on, and as it turns on, you create this field around the transmitter where you could pick up the electricity with a simple receiver that you just put into the ground."

 As Suarez worked to make her dream a reality, it became clear that she needed to learn about entrepreneurship. Through the National Science Foundation-sponsored I-Corps program at UMass Amherst, she learned valuable skills and explored the market for this technology through questions like: "Is there anyone out there who cares? Who would buy this? Are you building something that’s really cool tech, or are you building something that gives the customer something they need?” 

Today, Terra Watts has a working prototype and a team in place. "Now it's a matter of scaling and making a true difference in the world," says Suarez.

This story was originally published in July 2025.