HVDC transmission

Google Gemini generated this illustration visualizing a critique of EU infrastructure prioritization, contrasting active electricity markets with "hydrogen pipelines from nowhere to nowhere."

Europe Built Hydrogen Infrastructure Instead of the Power Grid It Needed

The most important policy lesson from the 400 km European hydrogen backbone segment with no suppliers and no offtakers—a pipeline from nowhere to nowhere—I wrote about recently is that decarbonization succeeds or fails on demand realism, not technological aspiration. Europe knew, as early as the late 2000s, that deep electrification … [continued]

ChatGPT generated image showing human landscape and engineering side by side, balancing awe with realism

China’s Electric Highways: Awe, Engineering, and the Myths of Invisible Danger

Keith Bradsher’s recent New York Times article on China’s ultra-high-voltage transmission grid is an impressive piece of reporting in scope and ambition. It captures the sheer physical magnitude of what China has built: hundreds of thousands of kilometers of high-voltage corridors, connecting wind, solar, hydro, and coal resources spread across … [continued]

ChatGPT generated panoramic line drawing of nitrogen cooled superconducting transmission cables in a mesh over Europe

Superconducting Transmission Of Electricity Is Here And It’s Supercooled

A couple of months ago, I was in Brussels speaking at the launch of the second edition of Supergrid Super Solution: A Handbook for Energy Independence and a Europe Free From Fossil Fuels. I’d participated in tuning the second edition, written by European renewables giant Eddie O’Connor with Kevin O’Sullivan, … [continued]

Midjourney-generated image of a bird's eye view of transmission grid.

On the Road to Increased Transmission: High-Voltage Direct Current

How High-Voltage Direct Current Lines Could Better Connect Solar and Wind to the Current Grid Comparing the Routes: HVAC Versus HVDC It is a question on the minds of grid planners throughout the United States: How can we tap into the nation’s best renewable resources at the lowest cost? That … [continued]

Slide from Michael Barnard's presentation on transmission under the auspices of the ISGF

HVDC, Reconductoring, & Smart Balls Supercharge Grids

Under the auspices of the India Smart Grid Forum, the think tank founded as an umbrella organization over India’s 28 state utilities to provide thought leadership, share leading practices, and bring international insights to India, I’m delivering bi-weekly webinars framed by the Short List of Climate Actions That Will Work. With the … [continued]

The Sun Shines in South America: Colombia & Brazil Give Large Boost to Solar Deployment

South America has a lot of sun and a lot of space, and solar energy has grown from a small player to the main driver of generation growth in several countries in the region (making their already clean grids even cleaner). Today we look at the grids of Chile, Brazil, and Colombia, all of which have already made solar a cornerstone of their generation or are working to do so in the near future.