This article focuses on UK-based application-driven research and development of wireless power transfer and energy harvesting solutions. Decade-long UK research is bringing antennas, rectifiers and power steering components to a variety of emerging markets. Key research led by UK teams include biomedical and environmental monitoring applications, large-scale ambient power surveys, spectral power density measurements, multiband and simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) rectennas, backscatter techniques, near field and far field power systems, wearable, flexible and soft systems.