Distinguish between HVDC and HVAC transmission?
DC versus AC.The vast majority of electric power transmissions use threephasealternating current. The reasons behind a choice ofHVDC instead of AC to transmit power in a specific caseare often numerous and complex. Each individualtransmission project will display its own set of reasonsjustifying the choice.A. General characteristicsThe most common arguments favouring HVDC are:1) Investment cost. A HVDC transmission line costsless than an AC line for the same transmissioncapacity. However, the terminal stations are moreexpensive in the HVDC case due to the fact thatthey must perform the conversion from AC to DCand vice versa. On the other hand, the costs oftransmission medium (overhead lines and cables),land acquisition/right-of-way costs are lower in theHVDC case. Moreover, the operation andmaintenance costs are lower in the HVDC case.Initial loss levels are higher in the HVDC system,but they do not vary with distance. In contrast, losslevels increase with distance in a high voltage ACsystemAbove a certain distance, the so called "break-evendistance", the HVDC alternative will always givethe lowest cost. The break-even-distance is muchsmaller for submarine cables (typically about 50km) than for an overhead line transmission. Thedistance depends on several factors, as transmissionmedium, different local aspects (permits, cost oflocal labour etc.) and an analysis must be made foreach individual case (Fig. 3).2) Long distance water crossing. In a long AC cabletransmission, the reactive power flow due to thelarge cable capacitance will limit the maximumtransmission distance. With HVDC there is no suchlimitation, why, for long cable links, HVDC is theonly viable technical alternative.3) Lower losses. An optimized HVDC transmission linehas lower losses than AC lines for the same powercapacity. The losses in the converter stations have ofcourse to be added, but since they are only about 0.6% of the transmitted power in each station, the totalHVDC transmission losses come out lower than theAC losses in practically all cases. HVDC cables alsohave lower losses than AC cables.4) Asynchronous connection. It is sometimes difficult orimpossible to connect two AC networks due tostability reasons. In such cases HVDC is the onlyway to make an exchange of power between the twonetworks possible. There are also HVDC linksbetween networks with different nominalfrequencies (50 and 60 Hz) in Japan and SouthAmerica.5) Controllability. One of the fundamental advantageswith HVDC is that it is very easy to control theactive power in the link6) Limit short circuit currents. A HVDC transmissiondoes not contribute to the short circuit current of theinterconnected AC system.7) Environment. Improved energy transmissionpossibilities contribute to a more efficient utilizationof existing power plants. The land coverage and theassociated right-of-way cost for a HVDC overheadtransmission line is not as high as for an AC line.This reduces the visual impact. It is also possible toincrease the power transmission capacity forexisting rights of way. There are, however, someenvironmental issues which must be considered forthe converter stations, such as: audible noise, visualimpact, electromagnetic compatibility and use ofground or sea return path in monopolar operation.In general, it can be said that a HVDC system ishighly compatible with any environment and can beintegrated into it without the need to compromise onany environmentally important issues of today.