Transmission month: everything in one place

Greetings, People of Volts! We have come at last to the end of
Transmission Month, née Week. It’s been quite a journey.


Below are links to and summaries of all the transmission posts.
Above is a mega-podcast — all the posts, read by me, strung
together, for when you have a couple of hours free.


* The subscriber-only discussion post that started everything.
Thanks for all the ideas!


* Why we need more big power linesAn explanation
for why the US needs more big, long-distance power lines to
decarbonize, relieve grid congestion, and reduce the cost of
power.


* How to start building more big power
linesBuilding new power lines in the US is absurdly
difficult, a kaleidoscope of dysfunction from planning to
financing to permitting to siting. Local resistance ends up
killing anything ambitious. The federal government needs to step
in.


* Burying power lines next to rail & roads to make a
national transmission gridOne way to avoid siting
hassles and local battles is to bury new transmission lines
alongside existing rail and road infrastructure. One big line
doing this, connecting Iowa wind to the Chicago area, is underway
now.


* How to make the existing grid work betterA set
of “grid-enhancing technologies” stand ready to increase the
capacity and improve the performance of the existing transmission
grid, from “dynamic line ratings” to “topology optimization.”
Utilities just need incentives to install them.


* Two more ideas to quickly boost the transmission
gridA couple of final proposals to improve existing
transmission. One is using energy storage to supplement
transmission; the other is replacing existing AC lines with HVDC
lines.


* Volts podcast: the challenges of building transmission
in the US, and how to overcome them, with Liza ReedA
discussion with clean-energy researcher about the obstacles
facing long-distances transmission lines and some policies that
might help clear them away.


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Thanks for reading and listening.


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