Reconductoring the US Power Grid | EarthxNews | EarthX - video Dailymotion

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EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   Could new technology double the capacity of the United States power grid? Umed Paliwal, lead researcher and senior scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, explains advanced reconductoring and how replacing the wires of existing transmission lines could supply electricity demands.  About EarthxNews:  A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.  EarthX Love Our Planet.  The Official Network of Earth Day.  About Us:   At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.   EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.   EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxtv/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxtv  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earthxtv   How to watch:    United States:   Spectrum  AT&T U-verse (1267)  DIRECTV (267)  Philo  FuboTV  Plex   #EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #Eco-friendly #Conservation #EarthxTV #EarthX

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00:00 A rarely used technique to upgrade old power lines could play a major role in expanding

00:08 the U.S. power grid.

00:09 The method is called advanced reconductoring, and a couple of recent reports suggest the

00:14 concept could roughly double the capacity of the electric grid in many parts of the

00:19 country.

00:20 Joining us now to discuss is one of the lead researchers who compiled the data showcasing

00:25 the benefits of using this technology, Umed Paliwal, senior scientist at the University

00:31 of California, Berkeley.

00:32 Can you tell me more about advanced reconductoring and what your research has been telling you?

00:38 Yeah, thank you for having me here.

00:41 So essentially, reconductoring is essentially replacing the wires of an existing power line

00:47 with newer wires that are made up of advanced materials.

00:51 Now these newer wires are able to carry double the amount of electricity as compared to the

00:56 conventional wires.

00:58 And the reason this is so important today, because the U.S. is seeing an unprecedented

01:02 growth in the electricity demand.

01:05 We are getting new manufacturing facilities set up in the U.S., a lot of data centers

01:08 are coming in the U.S., and more and more consumers are buying electric vehicles.

01:14 All these users need a reliable supply of electricity.

01:18 So the solution that we are coming up with is that of reconductoring, that we can just

01:23 replace the wires of the existing transmission line.

01:26 And the interesting thing about this is that this could be done in one to two years as

01:30 compared to building new transmission lines, which takes 10 plus years.

01:35 So that way, the electricity demand that is coming up today, in one to two years, we could

01:40 supply that electricity reliably through just changing the wires of existing transmission

01:45 lines.

01:46 What exactly is the difference between the current power lines that we're using versus

01:51 if we were to put these advanced reconductoring wires in?

01:55 So in these newer wires, what we do is we replace the steel with a material that is

02:00 made up of carbon fiber.

02:02 And carbon fiber is 10 times as stronger as steel, and it doesn't sag when it's heated.

02:09 The conventional wires that are used today, they are made up of aluminum and steel.

02:14 It's a century old technology that has not been updated so far.

02:18 And what happens is as you send more and more electricity through these wires, they heat

02:23 up.

02:24 And as we have studied in our physics classes, if something heats up, they expand.

02:28 And as these conventional wires, they heat up, they expand and they sag.

02:32 And what happens then, if they sag, they can come in contact with vegetation, and that

02:36 could be a safety hazard.

02:38 So if you send more and more electricity through these advanced wires, they don't sag.

02:42 And that's why we can send more electricity through these wires as compared to the conventional

02:46 wires.

02:47 So how big of an increase in capacity does advanced reconductoring provide?

02:51 I know you mentioned two times, but is that the peak?

02:54 We could get up to two times, but it might be less?

02:57 Yeah.

02:58 So what we found in our study is that by 2035, if we adopt reconductoring, we can add four

03:06 times as much new transmission capacity as otherwise if you would have just relied on

03:12 the conventional wires.

03:14 So electricity is the foundation of our modern economy.

03:18 And supply of cheap and reliable electricity builds the industrial base.

03:25 And if we have to compete globally, that is a requirement.

03:28 If we want the AI revolution to happen in the U.S. as compared to somewhere else, we

03:32 need to build this infrastructure.

03:34 Are there any environmental concerns tied to building these advanced wires?

03:39 Yeah.

03:40 So there are.

03:41 So these wires, the raw material that is used to build these wires is a byproduct of the

03:46 oil refining process.

03:48 So there are some carbon emissions that are associated with it.

03:52 But what is again interesting is these advanced wires, they have half as much as electrical

03:59 losses as compared to conventional wires.

04:01 Just to give you a perspective, last year we lost about 5 percent of the electricity.

04:06 And that is equivalent to the total amount of electricity that was generated in the state

04:10 of California.

04:11 But what about the everyday American?

04:13 Will it save them on their utility bill?

04:16 Yeah.

04:17 So what we found is that by 2050, the electricity cost to the consumers will be reduced by 3

04:24 to 4 percent because of these advanced wires.

04:29 And by 2035, we estimate that the consumers would save $85 billion.

04:33 And by 2050, the consumers would save $180 billion, like if we adopt reconductoring.

04:40 Where do you see this going in the future?

04:43 Yeah.

04:44 So the utilities, they are a conservative industry.

04:48 They tend to do what was done last year and so on last year.

04:54 So slowly, a lot of utilities are waking up to this opportunity.

04:58 I mean, it is kind of like important for them to adopt this technology because it takes

05:03 10 to 15 years to build these new transmission lines.

05:06 And this solution is much faster and costs half as much as building new lines.

05:11 Well, Umid Paliwal, senior scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, thank

05:16 you so much for coming on and telling us about this incredible venture that you are a part

05:20 of.

05:21 [MUSIC]

Reconductoring the US Power Grid | EarthxNews | EarthX

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