Say you want to building a wind farm. You find the noise level north of Vermont, where the wind blows slowly and the neighbors do not worry about the polluted views. (A Asa miracle, in other words.) You connect investors, get the right permits, and plan to set up your turbines. Then you hit the snag: power lines. Rural in Vermont is not enough; all in Boston, along with the people and their Tesla. Then you have a problem. The wind is blowing Pano, but there is no way to get its green energy Apo.
Since 1889, when the US acquired its first long-distance cable (passed a distance of 14 miles), the group is usually set up to harness the energy consumed near the point of production. There are exceptions — such as the hydroelectric power that comes to cities from remote dams — but for the most part, there has been a century of integration of coal and gas industries with local people. But now, because wind farms are located on mountain slopes and sun-drenched vegetation in the desert, the distance is more common.
The wires are not ready. Researchers at Princeton University estimate that the country has a high potential for transmitting voltage is supposed to grow by 60 percent in the next ten years to achieve its pure white goals. “The grid we have is not built on what we do with it now, let alone what we want to do with it, and all sorts of extras,” says Seth Blumsack, a grid economist at Penn State University.
In many parts of the world, wind and solar are the cheapest ways to generate energy, but dissemination is a barrier, explains Kerinia Cusick, co-founder of the Center for Renewables Integration, a nonprofit organization that promotes green energy rehabilitation. This means that in places like rural Vermont, wind farm owners are often forced to shut off when the cold wind blows – a move known as “slowing down” – because there is a lot of power coming from the wires.
For plants that need to be built, things are a lot harder, because grid barriers mean that granners have to build new lines, and pay for it, before installing turbines or solar panels. Each year, hundreds of renewable energy projects are hampered in well-prepared phases due to delays in upgrading shipping cables and rising costs.
“There is a risk that it could kill your project,” says Hudson Gilmer, chief of LineVision. Gilmer’s company is tackling this problem from the other side: create is present grid to carry more power. Although plans for a new line have been approved, there is no guarantee that it will happen. No one wants the big power cords to be plugged into the back of their house or across dangerous swamps. That’s why Gilmer looks for ways to get more power out of the lines where distortion is a big problem.
It is possible because power cables are often not fully utilized. The limits of the amount of power that the lines can carry are set in advance, and are based on the scientific and engineering concepts that were developed many years ago. They are careful — and understandably so, to keep the lights burning brightly and safely. But Gilmer and others argue that technological change allows owners of lines to focus on their system and to pass on more power. “We’re not saying we don’t need new power lines to transport supplies from Dakotas or West Texas to rural areas,” says Gilmer, referring to two of the country’s largest power plants. As a result, the country still needs high-speed electronics roads. But the idea is to get a little more out of the lines that you have in the bottles, and make room for extra extras that are spoiled on the line.
LineVision operates a dynamic line rating system. One of the physical limitations of power lines is the heat generated by the flow of water. More power and the cord begins to fall off as the wires get hotter and thicker, which can start and cause fire. But no one examines each line. The boundaries are based on the idea of avoiding the worst situations. There are other factors that affect the temperature of this line — for example, the weather. Most days there is a breeze on the wire, and it cools down – perhaps by a few degrees, but enough to carry a lot of energy. As a result, Gilmer’s company installed sensors that monitor lines to prevent collapse, using lidar and other equipment. It says technology can increase line volume up to 40 percent.