How can we connect power grids across long distances or across seas and oceans? The answer is high voltage direct current, or HVDC, interconnectors.

In this video, I’m going to explain how these differ to regular AC, alternating current transmission, the recent technology advances that are causing HVDC interconnectors to start popping up all over the place, and what challenges remain to be solved if we are going to connect places as far flung as Europe and North America.

00:00 Intro
01:08 Why do we want to connect different grids?
01:35 The classic question of AC vs DC
02:29 Types of Transmission Line Losses - Resistive, Inductive and Capacitive
04:19 The Different Layers of an HVDC Cable
05:20 HVDC Projects around the globe
05:25 ElecLink
06:23 North Sea Link
07:13 Basslink Interconnector and Marinus Link
09:15 Sun Cable
09:38 Xlinks
10:20 Technological challenges for these projects
12:15 The other, bigger challenge - Politics
13:12 Outro

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The Engineering with Rosie team is:
Rosemary Barnes: presenter, producer, writer
Kevin Irman: research, calculations, assistant editor
Javi Diez: editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierdie...
Cowritten with John Bone