In the United States it is estimated that approximately 6% of all electricity generated is lost to the inefficiencies in our transmission and distribution grid. While great consideration is given to the efficiency of generation equipment and demand-side appliances, very little consideration is given to the efficiency of the wires that are installed in our power grid (except after-the-fact measurements).
According to EIA, technical T&D estimated losses in the US are about 200 MILLION MWh per year. This means that the equivalent of 22,821 MW of power plants are running 100% of the time to serve grid line losses that do nothing more than heat the air. A reduction in line losses will not only reduce the cost of delivered power to consumers and reduce air and water emissions, it will also reduce the amount of clean and renewable generation resources required to reliably serve the electric load.
The place to consider increasing the efficiency of a grid project is at the project design stage. While choosing an incandescent light bulb over an LED bulb might be an unwise decision, the inefficient light bulb can easily be replaced in a year. For a grid project, an overlooked efficiency opportunity may be a lost opportunity for decades.
The ACCC® Conductor can not only help deliver more power from a wider range of generation assets, it can also reduce line losses by 30% or more. The return on investment is remarkable. Please take a closer look at www.ctcglobal.com
