Comments on: Big Boost For Renewable Energy In Store: ABB Develops “Game Changing” Hybrid HVDC Breaker

By: Ronald Brak

Ronald Brak — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Apparently it costs somewhere around $2 million a kilometre to build one gigawatt HVDC transmision in Australia. It has been suggested that we could use it to link Australia’s currently separate eastern and western electricity grids. But since that would cost about 7 billion dollars my guess is that it would be cheaper to build extra renewable capacity and/or storage as required. Of course, our situation is very different from more populous regions of the world.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 19:44:00 +0000

We need to get the cost of buried HVDC lines down.

One way might be to put them underneath highways. That would eliminate all the land acquisition/permitting problems.

Just cut a slit trench, drop in the cable and cover. Conduit bridges and overpasses.

By: Reader from Butte, MT

Reader from Butte, MT — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:47:00 +0000

Another major opportunity here is the HVDC direct burial cable that is available from a couple of manufacturers. Now, we won’t have to sacrifice so much sensitive habitat and scenic beauty to gigantic overhead transmission lines.

By: JMin2020

JMin2020 — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:05:00 +0000

The hybrid AC/DC Grid and Micro Grid systems are a rational approach to electrical transport. With newer converters positioned at substations for conversion of DC to AC it is entirely possible and practical. While intermitancy and fluctuations are problematic with renewables; if these are fed into a singular flip flop battery system ehre one is being charged and the other is discharging a smooth and consistant flow of voltage and current should become practically feasible.