How to Improve the Efficiency, Capacity, Reliability and Resilience
of the Electric Power Grid with ACCC® Conductor
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CTC Global
High Performance Conductors for a Low Carbon World™
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ACCC® News - November 2022
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WIRES Panel Session – ‘Advanced Technology for Transmission’
During the recent winter WIRES meeting in Washington, D.C., Bill White, Jay Caspary and Terron Hill joined moderator Pete Behr to discuss how advanced transmission technologies are helping build a modern grid. The panelists explained why planners, regulators and utilities should use ‘grid-enhancing technologies’ (GETs) – including Advanced Conductors to quickly boost transmission capacity and help ‘right-size’ the grid to handle future needs.
Terron Hill, National Grid clean energy director suggested that the U.S. will need to triple grid investment (from $30 billion /yr) to meet clean energy goals and support the electrification of homes and automobiles. Jay Caspary and Bill White discussed the importance of advanced power flow controllers, topology optimization and advanced conductors, among other things critical to building a modern grid. As always, the WIRES meeting drew several experts and influencers that continue to work hard to help resolve these important issues.
Many thanks to Larry Gasteiger and WIRES for another stellar event.
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New 220 kV Transmission Line Case Study:
ACSR vs ACCC® Conductor
Using one of five scenarios previously investigated by SCS Global Services to validate the CO2 emission reduction attributes of ACCC® Conductor, this case study considers a new 40-mile 220 kV single circuit transmission line comparing the performance of ACSR Finch against ACCC® Munich.
They are nearly identical in diameter and weight. The load requirement in this scenario is 1,200 peak amps with a load factor of 50%. The maximum ampacity of ACSR is 1,266 amps at 100°C and 2,376 amps at 200°C for ACCC. Conductor temperatures at 1,200 amps are 93°C ACSR and 75°C ACCC.
The use of ACCC® Conductor in this scenario offers:
• Reduction in line losses of 14,512 MWh/year (a 30% improvement)
• An annual savings of $725,610 at $50/MWh or $1,451,220 at $100/MWh
• Line loss reduction frees-up 1.66 MW of wasted generation capacity (~$1.6 million)
• A 30-year line loss reduction savings of $21,768,286 at $50/MWh or $43,536,572 at $10/MWh
• An annual reduction of CO2 by 7,011 metric tons (210,317 MT over 30 years)
• Ability to deliver an additional 1,176 amps – nearly twice that of the initial 1,200 amp requirement
While the ACCC® Conductor in this case would add approximately $2 million dollars to the initial project cost, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) reports that the cost of 220 / 230 kV transmission lines in the U.S. range from $1.5 to $2.0 million dollars per mile. On a 40-mile project, the added cost of the ACCC Conductor could be considered negligible - especially as many policy makers and regulators strive to “right-size” proposed transmission lines to prepare for anticipated growth.
Assuming the $1.6 million generation capacity savings and/or CO2 reduction benefits would not be taken into consideration, the added cost of using ACCC® Conductor would hit break even in 35 months based on line loss reductions alone at $50/MWh or 17.5 months at $100/MWh.
Looking at this from another angle (and assuming the overall project cost of this 40-mile line was $60 million ($1.5 million per circuit mile)), the ACSR option at 1,266 max amps would equate to a $47,000 per amp project cost vs a $25,000 per amp project cost for the 2,376 amp ACCC alternative. While a smaller and less expensive ACCC® Conductor could reduce upfront capital costs, the benefits presented above greatly outweigh the added cost and help future-proof this section of the grid. More details about this example can be found in the SCS Global Report or by contacting news@ctcglobal.com
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CTC Global Participates at Annual NARUC Meeting
At its 134th Annual Meeting and Education Conference, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) welcomed nearly 1,300 attendees to cover a range of energy and utility issues. The event featured three days of well-attended general sessions, 20 concurrent panels on focused, topical areas, and several NARUC subcommittees sessions. Of particular interest was the 5th meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission led by FERC Chairman Richard Glick and Maryland Public Service Commission Chairman Jason Stanek. The task force, comprised of all FERC commissioners and two state representatives of each NARUC region was held before a standing-room-only audience. The agenda title for this meeting was "Addressing Regulatory Gaps/Challenges in Oversight of Transmission Development" which covered extensively the potential for an Independent Transmission Monitor, their role, and to whom would they report.
While electric transmission was not a particular focus of this NARUC event, its importance was emphasized in many sessions. One example of the importance of the timely upgrading and expansion of the transmission system was highlighted during the session “The Inflation Reduction Act: Your Electricity System Planning Assumptions are Now Wrong.” The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) have billions of dollars targeting the development and interconnection of Clean Energy technologies. But as noted in the session, without timely transmission capacity increases and efficient movement of the clean energy around the grid, the Clean Energy investment are pointless. The transmission system must be upgraded in a timely manner to bring the substantial benefits to consumers and the environment that are enabled by an efficient electric grid. It was noted in the session that the benefits far outweigh the costs of expanding the transmission system.
CTC Global, who participated in and was a sponsor of the NARUC event notes that Advanced Conductors, including CTC Global's ACCC® Conductor, when used in the existing system as well as in new transmission expansion enables cost-effective grid upgrades which increase grid efficiency, decrease CO2 emissions, reduce the amount of capacity needed to serve the loads, and improve system resilience and reliability. Dave Townley, Director Public Policy stated "Using Advanced Conductors to rapidly expanding grid capacity is good for the consumer, the environment, and the grid." For more information please visit www.ctcglobal.com
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CTC Global Welcomes Visitors
CTC Global encourages its customers and potential customers to visit CTC Global's ISO Certified manufacturing facility and ISO/IEC 17025 certified lab. Our main facility is located in Irvine California - a five minute car ride from the Santa Ana "John Wayne" airport between Los Angeles and San Diego. Its a great year-round destination with lots of things to see and do.
CTC Global hosts visitors every week from around the world and enjoys the opportunity to introduce visitors to the management team and staff from every department. The CTC experience is always very positive and enlightening. If you happen to be in the area or are planning a trip to Southern California, please reach out to: news@ctcglobal.com
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CTC Global had great pleasure to host TenneT’s visit to CTC's HQ in Irvine. We appreciate TenneT’s innovative approach in adopting ACCC® Conductor and considering CTC’s emerging technologies in their future network planning.
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175* ACCC® Conductor Installations Underway or in the Queue (*this is not a typo)
In addition to 7 ACCC® Conductor installations completed this month, there are also 75 currently active with 100 more scheduled to start in the coming weeks. Please note a couple of jobsite photos below. If you have any questions, please visit www.ctcglobal.com or email news@ctcglobal.com
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Above: ACCC® Master Installer Yi Sangwoo at morning briefing in preparation for ACCC® Drake installation in Korea. Below: William Allen, ACCC® Master Installer, monitoring installation crew practicing dead end installation for ACCC® Galveston Conductor in Texas.
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New CCP™ Software Video
If you happen to be a regular visitor to CTC Global's website and/or follow our monthly newsletter, you may already be very aware of CTC Global's Conductor Comparison software Program CCP™ If not, please take a quick look at our new introductory video. We think you will really like it. If you have any questions, please send a note to news@ctcglobal.com.
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Learn More at these links:
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Looking for ACCC® Conductor Hardware?
Check out our Supplier Parts Database
CTC Global added a new Hardware Supplier Parts Database to our website. The database will help you find all of the hardware components you need to install ACCC® Conductor. The database shows which hardware manufacturers offer the parts you might need in your particular region while offering many options.
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CTC Global proudly works with top-tier manufacturing partners worldwide |
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ACCC® Conductor is an internationally patented and trademark registered product of CTC Global Corporation. The ACCC® Conductor is manufactured in association with 30+ qualified and licensed international stranding partners. If you are interested in the ACCC® Conductor, please contact CTC Global to make sure your supplier is authorized to produce and deliver ACCC® Conductor in your area. Thank You.
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CTC Global, Inc. 2026 McGaw Avenue Irvine,
CA 92614 Phone: +1 949.428.8500
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