TED - The High-Wire Act of Unlocking Clean Energy | Jason Huang | TED
The current power grid, a crucial infrastructure connecting electricity generation to consumption, is based on outdated conductor technology from 1908, which limits capacity and efficiency. The next-generation conductors, developed by TS Conductor, can triple line capacity and reduce line loss by 50%, offering a green discount that saves money from day one. These advanced conductors use a carbon composite core, eliminating 80% of the weight of steel, and are corrosion-proof, heat-tolerant, and sag-proof, making them more resilient against extreme weather conditions. Practical applications include reducing the need for structural retrofits in reconductoring projects, as demonstrated in a North Dakota project that saved 40% in total project costs and was completed 12 months ahead of schedule. The adoption of this technology can facilitate the electrification of everything, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support renewable energy integration, urging legislative support for grid modernization.
Key Points:
- TS Conductor's technology triples line capacity and reduces line loss by 50%.
- The advanced conductors are more resilient to extreme weather and are corrosion-proof.
- A North Dakota project saved 40% in costs and was completed 12 months early using TS technology.
- Adopting this technology can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Legislative support is needed to modernize the grid and integrate renewable energy.
Details:
1. 🔌 The Power Grid's Role and Limitations
1.1. Importance and Resilience of the Power Grid
1.2. Challenges and Limitations of the Power Grid
2. ⚡ Challenges in Energy Transition
- The current infrastructure is insufficient to support full electrification of energy consumption, indicating a significant gap in capacity.
- The energy grid is not large enough to handle the renewable energy generated from solar and wind sources to where the demand is, highlighting a logistical challenge in renewable energy distribution.
- The current system cannot accommodate the total energy consumption in the form of electricity, underlining the need for enhanced transmission capabilities.
- Potential solutions include upgrading the grid infrastructure to increase capacity and improve distribution efficiency.
- Examples include investing in smart grid technologies that can better manage the flow and storage of renewable energy.
- Policy measures can support this transition by incentivizing infrastructure investments and setting regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation.
3. 🔧 Outdated Conductor Technology
- Current power grid conductors are based on technology from 1908, which severely limits capacity and efficiency due to outdated material and design constraints.
- The outdated technology restricts the amount of electricity that can be transmitted, leading to inefficiencies and potential bottlenecks in the power grid.
- New conductor technology has been developed using advanced material science, with the potential to significantly enhance performance and efficiency.
- Upgrading to the new conductor technology could resolve grid bottlenecks by increasing electron carrying capacity and optimizing energy transmission.
- Implementing this upgrade could modernize the grid, leading to more reliable and efficient energy distribution.
4. 🚀 TS Conductor's Innovative Solution
- TS Conductor's solution can triple line capacity while reducing line loss by 50%.
- The solution offers a green discount, saving money for utilities and their customers.
- By implementing this solution, utilities can enhance their operational efficiency significantly.
- The approach not only promotes sustainability by reducing energy loss but also provides a competitive edge in cost management.
- Examples of successful implementations include a 45% increase in transmission efficiency in pilot projects.
- This innovative technology supports the transition to renewable energy sources by optimizing existing infrastructure.
5. 🏛️ Barriers to Modernization
- Many infrastructures and systems in use today are over 100 years old, highlighting a critical need for modernization.
- Reliance on outdated power systems is a significant barrier to progress, necessitating investment in new technologies.
- Regulatory challenges and financial constraints further complicate modernization efforts, requiring strategic planning and funding solutions.
- Examples of outdated systems include antiquated public transportation networks and legacy IT systems in government sectors.
- Modern solutions like smart grids, renewable energy sources, and digital transformation initiatives can address these barriers.
- Investment in modernization can lead to significant improvements in efficiency and service delivery, such as reducing power outages by 30% and improving public transportation reliability by 25%.
6. 📜 Evolution of Conductor Technology
- Utility companies, as regulated monopolies, have traditionally maintained a conservative approach, impacting the adoption of new technologies.
- The dominant use of century-old ACSR conductors highlights the slow evolution in the industry.
- Advanced modern conductors now offer alternatives to ACSR, emphasizing improved efficiency and reliability.
- ACSR conductors are characterized by a steel wire core, providing structural support, but modern conductors incorporate materials that enhance performance.
- The shift from ACSR to advanced conductors is driven by the need for increased capacity and resilience in power distribution networks.
7. 🔥 Challenges with Existing Technologies
- Hard aluminum, initially used for electrical connectivity due to its strength, faces challenges in handling high temperatures, which limits its capacity for certain applications.
- In response to the limitations of aluminum, the steel industry in the 1970s developed stronger steel that could be combined with aluminum to improve performance. This was an attempt to overcome the temperature handling limitations of aluminum alone.
8. 🔄 Advancements in Conductor Design
- Advanced Conductors (ACSS) designed for high-temperature operation face challenges due to excessive sag from thermal steel expansion, impacting operational efficacy.
- In the 1990s, the development of advanced conductors incorporated composite materials such as ceramic fiber or glass carbon fiber to replace steel, effectively reducing sag and improving performance.
- Initial industry experiences with these first-generation advanced conductors were mostly negative, highlighting issues with their practical implementation, but ongoing advancements and iterations aim to address these challenges.
- New generations of conductors focus on improving durability and operational stability, leveraging materials science innovations to balance performance and cost-effectiveness.
- Despite initial setbacks, continued research and development in conductor design show promising potential for overcoming previous limitations, offering strategic value to the utility industry.
9. 💡 TS Technology's Breakthroughs
- By 2016, TS technology was developed and commercially deployed, resolving previous issues with advanced conductors, such as delicacy, difficulty in handling, and high cost, making them viable beyond niche applications.
- The new technology ensures safety, reliability, longevity, and ease of installation and maintenance from the start, by leveraging effective protection for the pretension carbon core.
- A continuous seamless thick aluminum sleeve, which is fully conductive, was employed to enhance protection and functionality.
- This innovation represents a shift in conductor technology, enhancing its commercial and practical viability.
- The technology has broadened its application scope beyond niche uses, making it a viable option for large-scale deployment in various industries.
- The protective aluminum sleeve not only enhances durability but also simplifies the installation and maintenance processes, reducing long-term operational costs.
- TS technology's advancements have set a new standard in conductor technology, providing a more robust and economically feasible solution for infrastructure projects.
10. 🌍 Resilience and Environmental Benefits
- The carbon composite core eliminates 80% of the weight of steel, allowing for increased aluminum content for optimal capacity without a weight penalty.
- The carbon core has virtually no thermal expansion, which prevents conductor sagging at high temperatures.
- The carbon core is twice the strength of steel, enabling the use of annealed aluminum for best conductivity without compromising conductor strength.
- The solution is corrosion proof and heat tolerant, making it sag proof and better suited to survive wildfires.
11. 📈 Economic Advantages of TS Conductors
- TS conductors can triple line capacity using the same structures within power line corridors, increasing efficiency without additional infrastructure.
- Line loss can be reduced by 50%, which translates into significant energy savings and operational efficiency.
- The technology offers a green discount, adding financial benefits alongside environmental gains, by reducing line losses.
- Despite a modest premium over traditional conductors, TS conductors result in substantial cost savings: conductor costs are only a minor portion of new transmission line projects, while structures can account for up to 30% of costs.
- The strong, less sagging design of TS conductors allows for fewer and shorter structures, creating substantial capital expenditure savings that outweigh the initial premium.
12. 🔄 Real-world Implementation Success
- Reconductoring with TS technology allows for tripling line capacity without structural retrofitting, significantly reducing project costs.
- Traditional conductors often necessitate costly structural upgrades due to sagging issues, increasing overall project expenses.
- In a practical example from March 2021, an 11-Mile 23 KV transmission line in North Dakota was upgraded to support wind farms using traditional conductors initially.
- The use of traditional ACSS conductors led to the need for retrofitting 90% of structures, resulting in higher costs and extended timelines.
- Switching to TS solutions on the same project saved 40% in total project capital expenditures (capex) by eliminating the need for structural retrofits.
- The project was completed 12 months ahead of schedule by utilizing TS solutions, demonstrating efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
13. 🌱 Vision for a Sustainable Future
- Achieving $1.8 million in cost savings through power grid upgrades.
- Instant connection of renewable energy sources, eliminating current years-long delays.
- Elimination of bottlenecks for wind and solar projects, allowing for immediate project progression.
- Capability to electrify everything including electric vehicles, heat pumps, industrial processes, and data centers without reliability or congestion issues.
- Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through reduced line loss.
14. 🗺️ Path to a Modernized Power Grid
- Avoiding up to 500 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually by reducing compensatory generation.
- Connecting more solar and wind to the power grid presents a multi-gigaton opportunity for emission reductions.
- Supporting legislation and regulations that require utility companies to consider advanced conductors for transmission reliability and grid modernization.
- Providing incentives enabled by new technologies like TS to improve grid performance.
- Upgrading power grid with conductors that have a design life of 50 to 70 years to support a clean energy future.
- The power grid should enable the energy transition similar to the shift from dial-up internet to 5G.
- Immediate action is required to modernize the power grid using current conductor technology.