HVDC is Emerging in Asia, Africa and Europe as a Renewable Energy Enabler

During the “War of the Currents” of the late 1800’s, Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) were competing to become the standard for electricity distribution. During that time AC, which was promoted by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse turned out to be more practical and safer than the DC solution that was proposed by Thomas Edison. Edison, if he were alive today, may feel some sense of vindication with the emergence of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) as a way of implementing “Super Smart Grids” that are able to integrate different types of renewable energy sources and deliver energy over longer distances.


The use of HVDC systems for transmission of renewable energy is growing rapidly in both Africa and Asia, with Siemans and The ABB Group leading the way. Recently, the China Southern Power Grid in conjunction with Siemans Energy put into operation the first 800-kV High-Voltage Direct-Current Link in China, to deliver energy from the remote Yunnan Province to the rapidly growing industrial region in the Pearl River delta in Guangdong Province with its megacities Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Covering nearly 1,500 km (932 miles), this is expected to reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 30 megatons compared with equivalent fossil-fueled power plants in the power grid of Guangdong Province.

ABB completed its own HVDC project in conjunction with State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) to create an Xiangjiaba to Shanghai transmission link. This link has the capacity to transmit up to 7,200 megawatts (MW) of power from the Xiangjiaba hydropower plant in southwest China to Shanghai, the country's leading industrial and commercial center about 2,000 kilometers away. The new link is able to meet the electricity needs of about 24 million people.

An even more ambitious project in Africa, spearheaded by the DESERTEC Foundation, proposes to deliver energy generated by a set of solar and wind-based power generation plants to Europe. This project has brought together a variety of green energy companies that include U.K. based Nur Energie and recent addition Prysmian, based in Italy. Another company that could play a key role is the Italian solar thermal company Enel that has developed a technology that uses molten salt to store energy. A key player from the United States is First Solar a producer of thin-film solar panel technologies. It is anticipated that North Africa eventually could produce as much as 15% of Europe’s electricity.

HVDC represents an enabling technology that can lead to the emergence of new businesses that can provide low-cost components for long-haul energy transportation systems. It further represents opportunities for local businesses in emerging regions to provide low-cost manufacturing services that can support the development of projects such as the one proposed by DESERTEC.