New Technologies Will Speed and Ease Development of Transmission Infrastructure

Congress, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are all working to modernize the grid by stimulating development of new transmission infrastructure and improvement and expansion of existing transmission assets.

As they do this, transmission developers increasingly attempt to capitalize on “shared usage of right of way,” Kevin Ludwig, associate vice president and grid solutions leader at Black & Veatch, told Utility Dive in a recent article on transmission technologies.

In the article, Ludwig discusses the newest technologies being deployed in the transmission development space and explains how they can be applied to various situations. He notes that focus has also shifted toward the use of inland waterways, using submarine cables paired with high-voltage, direct current transmission systems. Both this strategy and the use of right-of-way areas enable the development of systems for the transmission of large amounts of power while avoiding many of the complications that come with building transmission infrastructure in areas that are already developed.

When it comes to existing infrastructure, Ludwig notes a bit of a different approach. He told Utility Dive that high-temperature, low-sag conductors can be deployed in niche cases to increase the amount of power a line can handle, allowing for the transmission of large loads across long distances without loss of the line’s structural integrity.

As various entities work to develop new and existing transmission infrastructure, technologies and strategies like these will be integral to solving some of the major barriers associated with space and distance. At Black & Veatch, Ludwig and other experts deploy solutions like these to develop the infrastructure that makes everyday life possible.