Comment on Why can't countries with vast deserts make solar farms to power the world?

• amorpheus@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Solar produces DC, presumably the even higher voltage is preferable to the conversion losses.

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  • bus_factor@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    From what I remember you get pretty close to AC mid-conversion anyway, but I looked it up and there are some other reasons to use DC:

    From en.wikipedia.org/…/High-voltage_direct_current:

    HVDC lines are commonly used for long-distance power transmission, since they require fewer conductors and incur less power loss than equivalent AC lines. HVDC also allows power transmission between AC transmission systems that are not synchronized. Since the power flow through an HVDC link can be controlled independently of the phase angle between source and load, it can stabilize a network against disturbances due to rapid changes in power. HVDC also allows the transfer of power between grid systems running at different frequencies, such as 50 and 60 Hz. This improves the stability and economy of each grid, by allowing the exchange of power between previously incompatible networks.

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• Valmond@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I just know that was the future french/european plan some 15 years ago.

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  • philpo@feddit.org ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Yeah, but by now the much lower cost and higher efficiency of panels vs. the drawbacks of the location has shifted the cost/benefit ratio quite a bit.

    It’s far cheaper to build the panels where the energy is needed and compensate for bad weather by building more panels (and other sources) instead of having the drawbacks of the north african location. Solar panels in the desert are an issue - as noted here multiple times, sand does not mix well with panels, neither does too much heat. Solar reflector plants have never really taken off due to various issues as well. And transport remains an issue by itself and so does political stability in these countries.

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