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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.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn more.
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.
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.
UHV works on the basis that a higher voltage during transmission means lower electric currents for the same amount of power transmitted.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nowadays, the focus is on using these huge power cables to transmit electricity produced using renewable electricity sources, such as solar and wind.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Indeed, India has certain states that are rich in those resources, such as Andhra Pradesh in the south and Gujarat in the west.
There are even plans in some parts of the world to build UHV transmission lines that cross continental borders.
In Europe, for example, cables are being put in place underwater that would be able to transmit solar and wind power from North Africa.
Building cross-continental UHV transmissions networks is not so simple, however. Even if the technology is ready to go, there are inevitably other challenges.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Experts are acutely aware that the larger the system becomes, the more safeguards will be needed to prevent a mass blackout from occurring.
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.
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
The bullet train that China is building for power
How China is leading the way with UHV
LIFESTYLE Renewable energy
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.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn more.