Power transmission: How to build a real supergrid by making existing electricity lines more efficient at transmitting power
GERMANY has a problem. The decision, taken in 2011, to close down the country’s nuclear-power stations risks leaving parts of the country with insufficient supplies of electricity. This means power will have to be brought in from elsewhere. But to do that seems, on the face of things, to require the building of new transmission lines, which will be unpopular with those they pass by.
One alternative is to make better use of existing lines. In theory, the simplest way of doing so would be to run direct current through them, instead of the existing alternating current. AC transmission has long dominated most grids because the higher voltages needed to boost energy transfer can be more readily stepped up and down again. But AC suffers transmission losses in a way DC does not, which even in efficient euro-zone grids is around 6%. With newer technology, however, the transmission of high-voltage DC would reduce those losses and thus provide more capacity, but it is technically awkward.
Now, however, an experiment by Amprion and TransnetBW, two German electricity-transmission firms, suggests it could be easier than engineers had feared. If true, this not only solves Germany’s local problem, it could also lead to the construction of a European supergrid to carry solar energy from the sunny south, and wind energy from the stormy west, to the continent’s industrial heartlands.
Read more . . .
The Latest on: Power transmission
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Power transmission” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Power transmission
- Estes Park Power & Communications is working on numerous outages related to the winter storm.on April 27, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Power & Communications is working on numerous outages related to the winter storm. Please see the public information map at If you are experiencing an outage that is not already ...
- AI Boom’s Secret Winners? The Companies Expected to Power Iton April 27, 2024 at 8:00 am
Investors looking for a unique way into the stock market’s artificial intelligence boom are finding an intriguing bank shot in what’s traditionally the most boring corner of the equities universe: ...
- Extreme Weather In Power Markets: How We Can Address Risk?on April 27, 2024 at 7:17 am
Extreme weather events can have major implications for electricity generation and supply – and therefore, for power markets.
- EPA short-circuits the U.S. power gridon April 27, 2024 at 6:55 am
On April 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a blitz of regulations targeting the nation’s fossil-fuel power plants. And in the center of the EPA’s crosshairs is America’s coal ...
- A huge transmission project out West just secured $331 million in federal supporton April 26, 2024 at 4:50 pm
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office announced that it has selected a project owned by Great Basin Transmission (GBT), subsidiary of LS Power, to enter into capacity contract ...
- Tribes want appeals court to weigh in on energy transmission projecton April 26, 2024 at 2:00 pm
SunZia is among the projects that supporters say will bolster President Joe Biden's agenda for cutting greenhouse gas emissions ...
- DOE issues final rule on transmission permittingon April 26, 2024 at 5:00 am
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a final rule on transmission permitting and announced a commitment for up to $331 million to add more than 2,000 megawatts (MW) of additional grid capacity ...
- US to upgrade power transmission infrastructureon April 25, 2024 at 11:45 pm
As the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ramps up clean energy efforts across the United States, the government has outlined a plan to expand transmission lines to accommodate more power.
- Energy Dept. Aims to Speed Up Permits for Power Lineson April 25, 2024 at 11:09 am
The Biden administration has expressed growing alarm that efforts to fight climate change could falter unless the electric grids are quickly expanded.
- Trying to Speed up Power Grid Permits, DOE Issues Final Transmission Ruleon April 25, 2024 at 8:52 am
The White House says the rule will streamline transmission project review timelines while respecting the environmental permitting process.
via Bing News
