3 ms·
The amount of copper you would need to constantly convey electricity from the sunny side of the earth to the dark side would be absolutely massive. It is not a
by nickff 10y ago
The amount of copper you would need to constantly convey electricity from the sunny side of the earth to the dark side would be absolutely massive. It is not an issue of common grids, as long distance high power transmission is done at many different voltages depending on the specific route, and has nothing to do with your mains voltage and frequency.
Current long distance power transmission is most often used as a way of 'balancing' production and demand between different types of plants; it is not intended or capable of transmitting the full power needs of the recieving area.
- qoobaa 10y agoYou can use aluminium instead of copper (see HVDC Gotland). I didn't say it's just about "connecting countries with a common grid". Switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources is much more challenging than that. However, transmitting lots of power over long distances is doable and cheaper than many people think.
- rogerdpack 10y agoI know they run large (presumably) copper lines from Utah to California to pump out electricity. That can't have been cheap, how bad can it be to pump it trans atlantic? LOL