I was checking the wiring to a neighbours large storage heater and was surprised by how warm the mains cable supplying it had become. Not hot, but definitly warm.
As this is caused by resistive loss in the wiring, it lead me to wonder how much heat is liberated into the environment by the resitive losses in the electricity suppy grid, and if on a global scale, whether the effect is significant.
From Wiki, I found this....(bear in mind these are from 2005 and probably considerably greater in 2019)
Losses[edit]
Figures are again from the 2005 SYS.
Generated power entering the grid is metered at the high-voltage side of the generator transformer.[23][24] Any power losses in the generator transformer are therefore accounted to the generating company, not to the grid system. The power loss in the generator transformer does not contribute to the grid losses.
As this is caused by resistive loss in the wiring, it lead me to wonder how much heat is liberated into the environment by the resitive losses in the electricity suppy grid, and if on a global scale, whether the effect is significant.
From Wiki, I found this....(bear in mind these are from 2005 and probably considerably greater in 2019)
- Length of 132 kV (or lower) grid; 5,250 km (circuit)
Losses[edit]
Figures are again from the 2005 SYS.
- Joule heating in cables: 857.8 MW
- Fixed losses: 266 MW (consists of corona and iron loss; can be 100 MW higher in adverse weather)
- Substation transformer heating losses: 142.4 MW
- Generator transformer heating losses: 157.3 MW
- Total losses: 1,423.5 MW (2.29% of peak demand)
Generated power entering the grid is metered at the high-voltage side of the generator transformer.[23][24] Any power losses in the generator transformer are therefore accounted to the generating company, not to the grid system. The power loss in the generator transformer does not contribute to the grid losses.