4 ms·

> power located closer to usage centers If you are willing to throw money at the problem then high voltage DC transmission lines can move a lot of power over l

by keanzu 7y ago

> power located closer to usage centers If you are willing to throw money at the problem then high voltage DC transmission lines can move a lot of power over long distances with surprisingly little loss. A 1,100 kV link in China was completed in 2019 over a distance of 3,300 km with a power of 12 GW. HVDC transmission losses are quoted as less than 3% per 1,000 km.

belorn 7y ago
What did that cost per km? A large part of the nuclear vs renewable discussing is one about which is cheaper.
- kragen 7y ago
  Probably not much more than regular transmission lines. Making transmission lines higher in voltage means that they can carry more power over the same amount of current, which means the same amount of aluminum. You just have to put them further apart. A lot of the costs of transmission lines have to do with safety: it's dangerous to repair them, even when you take expensive safety measures. AC and DC lines have different safety characteristics. You've probably seen the videos of helicopter transmission line mechanics working on HVAC lines like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x94BH9TUiHM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x94BH9TUiHM — you see those meter-long arcs when they establish and terminate contact with the lines? Those don't happen on HVDC lines. But HVDC lines have their own special safety concerns. We just don't have the century-plus of experience with them, so it wouldn't be surprising if they were more dangerous at first.
- keanzu 7y ago
  Unknown. ABB has won orders worth over $300 million to supply breakthrough technologies for the world's first 1,100 kilovolt (kV) ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link. [1] For an 8 GW 40 km link laid under the English Channel, the cost was ~£750M. An April 2010 announcement for a 2,000 MW, 64 km line between Spain and France is estimated at €700 million. This includes the cost of a tunnel through the Pyrenees. I'd guess ABB's contract was equipment only and that installing 3000km of power line would have been the majority of the costs based on the Spanish/English/French pricing. [1] https://new.abb.com/news/detail/13922/abb-wins-orders-of-over-300-million-for-worlds-first-1100-kv-uhvdc-power-link-in-china https://new.abb.com/news/detail/13922/abb-wins-orders-of-ove...

by keanzu 7y ago

belorn 7y ago

What did that cost per km? A large part of the nuclear vs renewable discussing is one about which is cheaper.

kragen 7y ago
Probably not much more than regular transmission lines. Making transmission lines higher in voltage means that they can carry more power over the same amount of current, which means the same amount of aluminum. You just have to put them further apart. A lot of the costs of transmission lines have to do with safety: it's dangerous to repair them, even when you take expensive safety measures. AC and DC lines have different safety characteristics. You've probably seen the videos of helicopter transmission line mechanics working on HVAC lines like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x94BH9TUiHM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x94BH9TUiHM — you see those meter-long arcs when they establish and terminate contact with the lines? Those don't happen on HVDC lines. But HVDC lines have their own special safety concerns. We just don't have the century-plus of experience with them, so it wouldn't be surprising if they were more dangerous at first.
keanzu 7y ago
Unknown. ABB has won orders worth over $300 million to supply breakthrough technologies for the world's first 1,100 kilovolt (kV) ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link. [1] For an 8 GW 40 km link laid under the English Channel, the cost was ~£750M. An April 2010 announcement for a 2,000 MW, 64 km line between Spain and France is estimated at €700 million. This includes the cost of a tunnel through the Pyrenees. I'd guess ABB's contract was equipment only and that installing 3000km of power line would have been the majority of the costs based on the Spanish/English/French pricing. [1] https://new.abb.com/news/detail/13922/abb-wins-orders-of-over-300-million-for-worlds-first-1100-kv-uhvdc-power-link-in-china https://new.abb.com/news/detail/13922/abb-wins-orders-of-ove...