Using Dynamic Thermal Rating systems to reduce power generation emissions

Globally, consumption of electricity has increased substantially in recent years, resulting in high pressure on existing power infrastructure. In addition, in most jurisdictions, transmission networks have not seen any significant upgrades nor investment. This problem has been compounded by the increased interest in green energy production, partly as a result of greater climate change awareness and the resulting push for more sustainable energy systems. However, green power needs to be harnessed where it is available and it is often quite far from load centers. Unfortunately, existing power transmission lines were not constructed to incorporate distributed energy sources, and thus are often inadequate to transmit the total amount of power that could potentially be generated. One modern cost-effective approach to minimize the cost of transmission expansion is to utilize Dynamic Thermal Rating (DTR) systems to identify and harness underutilized capacity of existing conductors. This approach would allow the industry to transmit more electricity over power lines by assessing the actual operating conditions, rather than using the currently assumed conservative estimates. This study presents the reduction in power generation emissions that could be achieved by using DTR technology to incorporate more green energy onto the existing power grid. Using a model scenario, it also illustrates the optimal capacity sizing of green generation sources that could be constructed to maximize the amount of clean electricity that could be put onto the existing grid.