Hybrid overhead lines: More power, not more power lines
Two projects of the National Research Programmes “Energy Turnaround” and “Managing Energy Consumption” have determined – in collaboration with the High Voltage Lab at D-ITET – the optimum design of hybrid overhead lines needed to increase the capacity of the power transmission grid and, at the same time, win popular acceptance for the new technology.
Unlike conventional power lines, hybrid overhead lines combine alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) systems on the same tower instead of two AC systems. This increases transmission capacity even though the height and width of the lines remain identical, and it avoids new construction and encroachment on the landscape.
As part of the National Research Programme “Energy Turnaround” (NRP 70), Prof. Christian Franck and his team investigated the optimal design of this hybrid system. While the new technology was being developed, the opportunities and means for achieving the necessary social acceptance were being investigated by Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen, Professor at the University of Bern, as part of the National Research Programme “Managing Energy Consumption” (NRP 71).
More information: external page Website of SNF