Is Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) transmission one of the investment opportunities after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries across the world have begun printing large amounts of money to stimulate the economy. This large amount of capital is looking for investment opportunities.
China is a prime example. China has launched a new infrastructure project. China’s current infrastructure construction includes highways, railways，buildings etc. In fact, China’s current highway mileage exceeds 140,000 kilometres, ranked number one in the world.
The goal of the new infrastructure is to empower society with a technological revolution and make technological capabilities the new infrastructure. In other words, build an advanced technology platform on top of the established infrastructure platform.
The new infrastructure mainly includes the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), electric vehicle charging piles, 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence, intercity high-speed railways and urban traffic tracks, big data centres and UHV (Ultra High Voltage) transmission.
In this article, we will examine Ultra High Voltage.
Question
But before that, think of this question. What is the common infrastructure for 5G, big data centre, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and electric vehicle charging piles?
You are right. The construction and operation of the above-mentioned technologies are inseparable from the power network.
What is Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) Transmission
Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) transmission refers to power transmission lines operating at greater than 800,000 volts (800 kV). For reference, most transmission lines in the United States operate at voltages less than 395kV.
UHV transmission technology includes two technical forms: UHV AC transmission and UHV DC transmission. The purpose is to further enhance the power transmission and distribution capabilities, complete large-scale, long-distance transmission, so as to better and more smoothly interconnect the regional power networks and better allocate resources. The transmission voltage of the UHV AC transmission system is equal to or greater than 1000 kV AC, and the voltage of the UHV DC transmission system is equal to or greater than 800 kV DC.
China has the world’s first UHV power grid line: starting from Changzhi Substation in Shanxi Province, passing through Nanyang Switching Station in Henan Province, and ending at Jingmen Substation in Hubei Province, connecting to North China and Central China Power Grids, with a total length of 654 kilometres, costing 5.857 billion yuan, approximately $828 million US dollars. It was completed for commercial operation on December 28, 2008. This 1000 KV AC transmission line is completely developed, designed and constructed by China independently.
1100 kV is the most advanced technology in the world. All the machinery and equipment are produced in China. Other countries do not have such equipment, technology and factories. UHV China controls all standards. Out of the world’s standard voltages, it currently leads 36 standards. All four new technology committees are Chinese.
Why Ultra-High Voltage (UHV)?
According to China’s State Grid data, the primary circuit UHV DC grid can transmit 6 million kilowatts of electricity, which is about 5 times the current 500 kV DC grid, and the transmission distance is 2 to 3 times the latter, and it also saves 60% land resources.
We know that electricity is not easy to store, and China’s electricity production and sales are increasing year by year. Taking 5G as an example, the number of base stations will be 4 to 5 times that of 4G, and the power consumption of each base station will be more than 3 times that of 4G base stations, which means that the power consumption of 5G will be 12 to 15 times that of the 4G era. This level of electricity consumption is unprecedented!
On the other hand, according to China’s General Administration of Customs, China’s crude oil imports in 2019 were 50.572 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%, costing 167 million yuan, $166,266.2 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 4.6%. China has already become the world’s largest oil importer.
According to the bulletin of the National Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2019, the number of civilian cars in China was 261.5 million. According to data released by the World Bank, China has 173 vehicles per 1,000 people, while the U.S. has 837 vehicles per 1,000 people. The conversion rate of petroleum to gasoline is about 25%. If it reaches the level of the United States, China will consume more oil.
The process of importing oil includes importing oil from abroad, transporting it to the port, transporting it to a refinery to make gasoline, and then transporting the gasoline to major gas stations across the country.
Therefore, in order to reduce oil consumption, the Chinese government has introduced preferential policies to encourage manufacturers to produce pure electric vehicles.
Benefits of using Ultra-High Voltage (UHV)
It can efficiently save more electricity by ultra-high voltage. Even though the transmission distance is long, the power loss is still very low. Regardless of whether the electricity is generated by hydropower, wind power or solar energy, we can find a way to get it online close by, and then use the UHV with the lowest loss efficiency to directly put electricity in various charging stations. The UHV power supply system can also accurately track how much electricity is used in each area in different time periods, and optimize the efficiency of power usage.
According to the online report of Polaris Smart Grid, the scale of UHV projects in 2020 will reach 45 AC substations, with a total transformer capacity of 223.5 million kVA, and the length of AC UHV lines reaching 31,490 kilometres. The completion of the UHV projects will greatly support the development of other new infrastructure projects in China.
As you can see UHV is the common infrastructure for 5G, big data centre, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and electric vehicle charging piles. Future investment in such large scale projects may be one of the results COVID-19 has brought to the world. We need to boost a country’s economy with new infrastructure investment.
About Kelly
Kelly is the founder of Mans International, a Toronto-based tech service firm offering quality B2B marketing and investment services to help tech companies with AI and IoT solutions to expand their market worldwide rapidly.