![]() So that’s the HV part of HVDC.īut why Direct Current and not Alternating? So it suits countries with big power demands that have to cross huge distances.Īnd, although the distances in Europe do not require voltages as high as 800kV, a 500kV rating is still considered very high. Not very useful for Europe, but it is ideal for countries in Asia, South America, and Africa. This innovation allows the construction of interconnectors up to 3,000km. But we knew that to get more power over longer distances, we'd have to increase the voltage. The previous threshold had been about 500 kV. I was the director of a team working on one of the many big manufacturing companies that developed 800kV DC technology. and he has been contributing to the evolution of interconnectors for decades. This is Norman McLeod, he is the Technical Director for HVDC at WSP. If we can increase the voltage of the transmission, we decrease the current, if we decrease the current decrease the loss of energy. One of the big things we try to do as engineers is not to waste energy by just heating up the wires heating up the atmosphere. We’ll also consider the implications of linking together to form a super grid.īut before we get to that, we had better start with first principles…įor long-distance energy transmission it’s important to keep power losses to a minimum. We will learn what it takes to build one of these HVDC systems, including laying HV cables under the sea, and discover the benefits they bring to the countries at each end of the link. In this episode we will look at a project to build a new interconnector between Great Britain and Ireland called “Greenlink”. It is a simple idea, but the implications for how we generate, transmit, and consume electricity are enormous. These are high-capacity electricity systems that can deliver enormous amounts of power over long distances, directly from one electric grid to another. Specifically HVDC interconnectors – that’s high voltage direct current. In this episode we have partnered with WSP to talk about interconnectors. ![]() Hello and welcome to Engineering Matters, our presenters are Alex Conacher and Bernadette Ballantyne. What if Ireland could benefit from the wind in Britain and what if, in return, Britain could benefit when it’s windy in Ireland? What if there was a way to exploit the free energy from that weather front as it moves across the continent? This can be done by having fossil fuel generation on standby (which we don’t want to use) or by using grid storage (which isn’t really practical yet)… When the risks of intermittent supply become more serious, these need to be mitigated. This is one of the highest levels of wind power penetrations in the world, which is amazing, but it does have one drawback. This means that, in 2020, wind generated more than 35% of Ireland’s electricity. The island of Ireland has made good use of its blustery conditions, with 5.5GW of installed wind power as of 2021. SOUND – SOFT ELECTRIC WHIRRING, SPINNING BLADES Tomorrow the weather will be calm, as the front continues eastwards on its way to knocking over garden furniture in the UK. The weather front formed on the other side of the Atlantic, where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico presses against colder northerly winds. ![]() As you look out at the ocean, a strong wind is pressing into you. You are standing on a clifftop on the western coast of Ireland. SOUND – A GOOD WIND COMING IN FROM THE OCEAN, NOT A STORM Hosts: Alex Conacher and Bernadette Ballantyne ![]() This episode was written and hosted by Alex Conacher and assisted by his co-host was Bernadette Ballantyne. Engineering Matters is a production of Reby Media.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |