Connecting far-flung solar and wind power generation farms have held back to the green energy revolution.
Next-generation power lines remain a fairly niche product, but they could prove vital in the coming years. The world has a tall task to create grids that align with net-zero emissions goals. Adapting and expanding grids to meet net-zero needs by 2050 amounts to at least $21.4 trillion, according to BNEF. That includes installing nearly 50 million miles of wires to transmit and distribute clean energy.
While this type of advanced conductor can be two to three times the cost of conventional wiring on a per-foot basis, the lighter weight means utilities need fewer and shorter towers when installing miles and miles of it. For example, one customer that TS Conductor declined to name used the company’s product for an 11-mile connection to a wind farm. Using a conventional conductor would have required 78 towers, but this job only needed 59 of them, Huang said.