Future of electricity transmission is HVDC
High-voltage direct current transmission enables continental and larger grids
The future is electric and renewable energy will dominate the mix, but how will electricity get from wind farms in the North Sea to central Europe, from Nevada solar farms to San Diego or from the Three Gorges hydroelectric dams to Hong Kong? At present, the majority of high-voltage electricity transmission lines are alternating current, but innovations in the past decades and even years means that they are increasingly likely to be direct current with major advantages for everyone. The phrase and acronym to keep an eye out for are high-voltage direct current and HVDC.
Why will HVDC dominate transmission?
HVDC lines always deliver more of the power put into them regardless of the distance that the electricity travels, which is a significant factor in and of itself. But the big reason this is important is that it’s cheaper at longer distances over land and at very short distances underwater and underground…
