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0 / 31 Fotos
The problem with electricity
- One of the biggest questions when it comes to electricity is how best to transport it over long distances. After all, it is not only people living close to power plants who need electricity in their homes.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Enter: UHV
- Ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission is one answer to this question. Essentially, UHV involves the bulk movement of electricity over long distances at a very high voltage.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
How it works
- UHV works on the basis that a higher voltage during transmission means lower electric currents for the same amount of power transmitted.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
How it works
- Having lower currents, in turn, means that there is less heat loss as the electricity moves through the transmission lines, and the power therefore moves with greater efficiency.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Popular solution
- UHV is not the only way to transmit electricity, but it has become the go-to solution for many countries and there is an increasing investment in UHV infrastructure.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
China leading the way
- The country leading the way when it comes to UHV transmission lines is China. Indeed, the Chinese refer to them as "bullet trains for power."
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
In the early days
- As early as 2006, the development of UHV became part of Beijing's five-year plan. This is a good indication that, even at this early stage, UHV was already part of the national strategy.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
The Xiangjiaba-Shanghai link
- China's first UHV transmission link went into service in 2010, and connects the Fengxian Converter Station, which sits just outside Shanghai, with the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station in southwest China.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Powering Shanghai
- The Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station harnesses the energy of the Yangtze River and then sends it to the Fengxian Converter Station, where it powers the buildings of Shanghai.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Important power source
- With almost 4,000 pylons and cables that cross gorges, rivers, and fields, the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai line meets up to 40% of Shanghai's demand for power.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
The beginning of an era
- The introduction of the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai transmission link in 2010 marked the beginning of an era that would see UHV infrastructure springing up all over China.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Energy sources
- Until recently, however, the infrastructure has mainly been used to send electricity generated by hydro and coal from remote regions to more populous areas of the country.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
New focus
- Nowadays, the focus is on using these huge power cables to transmit electricity produced using renewable electricity sources, such as solar and wind.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
2022 commitments
- In 2022, the country's National Energy Administration said that wind and solar bases in the desert should focus on building UHV transmission lines to share their power with far-flung parts of the country.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Starting construction
- In 2023, construction began on the first such line, which will link the Ningxia Autonomous Region in the northwest with the southern province of Hunan.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
UHV in other countries
- Although China is the trailblazer when it comes to UHV infrastructure, there are also other countries that have started putting their own plans in place.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Brazil
- In Brazil, for example, there are already two UHV transmission lines in operation. They transmit hydropower from the Amazon basin to more populous regions in the southeast, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Brazil
- Both the operating UHV transmission lines in Brazil were built by China's State Grid, and there are currently plans underway for them to build a third.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
India
- India, too, has had the Green Energy Corridor Scheme in place since 2015. This is a scheme that includes dedicated transmission lines for renewable energy.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
India
- Indeed, India has certain states that are rich in those resources, such as Andhra Pradesh in the south and Gujarat in the west.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Cross-continental UHV
- There are even plans in some parts of the world to build UHV transmission lines that cross continental borders.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Underwater transmission
- In Europe, for example, cables are being put in place underwater that would be able to transmit solar and wind power from North Africa.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
Challenges
- Building cross-continental UHV transmissions networks is not so simple, however. Even if the technology is ready to go, there are inevitably other challenges.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Regulations
- One of the main hurdles to clear is regulatory problems. There is always a huge amount of paperwork involved, and sometimes it can be difficult to get local residents on side.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Cost
- Another challenge with UHV transmission is cost. For a project to go ahead, the stakeholders must agree to share the cost, and this can be a difficult situation to achieve.
© Shutterstock
25 / 31 Fotos
The situation in the US
- According to Wang Xuan, who is an advisor on clean energy strategies at the Regulatory Assistance Project, this is why UHV hasn't taken off yet in the US.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Mass blackouts
- The final challenge with mega grids is that there is a higher chance of a mass blackout in the event that one part of the network fails.
© Shutterstock
27 / 31 Fotos
Bigger system, bigger risk
- Experts are acutely aware that the larger the system becomes, the more safeguards will be needed to prevent a mass blackout from occurring.
© Shutterstock
28 / 31 Fotos
Combination solution
- It seems likely, then, that the renewable energy solution of the future will use a combination of UHV infrastructure and more localized energy supplies, such as mini grids.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Final thoughts
- On their own, neither solution is perfect. Working together, however, they may pave the way for a sustainable energy future. Sources: (BBC) See also: The Opium Wars that devastated China
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
The problem with electricity
- One of the biggest questions when it comes to electricity is how best to transport it over long distances. After all, it is not only people living close to power plants who need electricity in their homes.
© Getty Images
1 / 31 Fotos
Enter: UHV
- Ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission is one answer to this question. Essentially, UHV involves the bulk movement of electricity over long distances at a very high voltage.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
How it works
- UHV works on the basis that a higher voltage during transmission means lower electric currents for the same amount of power transmitted.
© Getty Images
3 / 31 Fotos
How it works
- Having lower currents, in turn, means that there is less heat loss as the electricity moves through the transmission lines, and the power therefore moves with greater efficiency.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Popular solution
- UHV is not the only way to transmit electricity, but it has become the go-to solution for many countries and there is an increasing investment in UHV infrastructure.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
China leading the way
- The country leading the way when it comes to UHV transmission lines is China. Indeed, the Chinese refer to them as "bullet trains for power."
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
In the early days
- As early as 2006, the development of UHV became part of Beijing's five-year plan. This is a good indication that, even at this early stage, UHV was already part of the national strategy.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
The Xiangjiaba-Shanghai link
- China's first UHV transmission link went into service in 2010, and connects the Fengxian Converter Station, which sits just outside Shanghai, with the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station in southwest China.
© Getty Images
8 / 31 Fotos
Powering Shanghai
- The Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station harnesses the energy of the Yangtze River and then sends it to the Fengxian Converter Station, where it powers the buildings of Shanghai.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
Important power source
- With almost 4,000 pylons and cables that cross gorges, rivers, and fields, the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai line meets up to 40% of Shanghai's demand for power.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
The beginning of an era
- The introduction of the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai transmission link in 2010 marked the beginning of an era that would see UHV infrastructure springing up all over China.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Energy sources
- Until recently, however, the infrastructure has mainly been used to send electricity generated by hydro and coal from remote regions to more populous areas of the country.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
New focus
- Nowadays, the focus is on using these huge power cables to transmit electricity produced using renewable electricity sources, such as solar and wind.
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
2022 commitments
- In 2022, the country's National Energy Administration said that wind and solar bases in the desert should focus on building UHV transmission lines to share their power with far-flung parts of the country.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Starting construction
- In 2023, construction began on the first such line, which will link the Ningxia Autonomous Region in the northwest with the southern province of Hunan.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
UHV in other countries
- Although China is the trailblazer when it comes to UHV infrastructure, there are also other countries that have started putting their own plans in place.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
Brazil
- In Brazil, for example, there are already two UHV transmission lines in operation. They transmit hydropower from the Amazon basin to more populous regions in the southeast, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Brazil
- Both the operating UHV transmission lines in Brazil were built by China's State Grid, and there are currently plans underway for them to build a third.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
India
- India, too, has had the Green Energy Corridor Scheme in place since 2015. This is a scheme that includes dedicated transmission lines for renewable energy.
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
India
- Indeed, India has certain states that are rich in those resources, such as Andhra Pradesh in the south and Gujarat in the west.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Cross-continental UHV
- There are even plans in some parts of the world to build UHV transmission lines that cross continental borders.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
Underwater transmission
- In Europe, for example, cables are being put in place underwater that would be able to transmit solar and wind power from North Africa.
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
Challenges
- Building cross-continental UHV transmissions networks is not so simple, however. Even if the technology is ready to go, there are inevitably other challenges.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Regulations
- One of the main hurdles to clear is regulatory problems. There is always a huge amount of paperwork involved, and sometimes it can be difficult to get local residents on side.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Cost
- Another challenge with UHV transmission is cost. For a project to go ahead, the stakeholders must agree to share the cost, and this can be a difficult situation to achieve.
© Shutterstock
25 / 31 Fotos
The situation in the US
- According to Wang Xuan, who is an advisor on clean energy strategies at the Regulatory Assistance Project, this is why UHV hasn't taken off yet in the US.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Mass blackouts
- The final challenge with mega grids is that there is a higher chance of a mass blackout in the event that one part of the network fails.
© Shutterstock
27 / 31 Fotos
Bigger system, bigger risk
- Experts are acutely aware that the larger the system becomes, the more safeguards will be needed to prevent a mass blackout from occurring.
© Shutterstock
28 / 31 Fotos
Combination solution
- It seems likely, then, that the renewable energy solution of the future will use a combination of UHV infrastructure and more localized energy supplies, such as mini grids.
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Final thoughts
- On their own, neither solution is perfect. Working together, however, they may pave the way for a sustainable energy future. Sources: (BBC) See also: The Opium Wars that devastated China
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
The bullet train that China is building for power
How China is leading the way with UHV
© Getty Images
Ever since the idea was first developed in the early 2000s, ultra-high voltage (UHV) electricity transmission has really taken off. It has received more and more attention in recent years, particularly as a solution for transporting renewable energy from one end of a country to the other. UHV solutions are particularly popular in China, where transmission lines are referred to as "bullet trains for power" because of their speed and efficiency.
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