The electric power industry has been looking at ways to improve transmission line performance for some time, exploring superconducting cables as well as ways to wring more power delivery capacity out of traditional cables currently in place. Now, wind researchers at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) say monitoring the weather can do quite a lot to improve capacity.
It is not quite that simple, but the researchers do say it is possible (and practical) to send more power through existing transmission lines by paying attention to and taking advantage of the weather. The researchers are referring to locations where wind farms are being built.
First, the cooling effect of the wind on transmission lines could mean they could handle the additional load of new power from the wind farms. As more power is added to transmission lines, they get hotter and, at some point, no more current can be pushed through them — to avoid overheating. And, the degree of cooling depends on wind speed and the direction of its flow. Also, it is possible to monitor for increased capacity by also monitoring changes in weather.
If the INL tests work out as researchers hope, the benefits would be enormous. It takes about 7-10 years to build a transmission line at a cost of about $1 million per mile. The amount of time it takes to construct the line can determine if a wind or other renewable energy project will be built.
The researchers, in collaboration with Idaho Power Company, have placed 15 small weather stations — wind and temperature sensors — along 100 miles of high-voltage transmission line. Rather than install the stations everywhere on a line, the researchers are using software capable of recreating conditions between the existing stations.
“If we can increase transmission capacity in many power lines with very little cost, we give these projects the ability to grow without putting in new transmission lines. We can leapfrog some of the transmission limitations to renewable power,” INL wind power expert Gary Seifert said.
The monitoring technique needs more work and research, but it does seem both promising and pragmatic.
By Doug Peeples
