Greensburg GreenTown

Photo credit Greensburg GreenTownHere in Greensburg we all know about the power of the wind.  Though the wind can have devastating effects, it can also be harnessed for clean energy, something the town has taken advantage of through turbines.  While turbines are great for a rural setting, it is unsafe to operate them in an urban area.  In order for urban places to take advantage of the clean energy, the power generated by turbines must travel through power lines.  Unfortunately, much of the power is lost during its journey from turbine to urban home.

However, there is a solution for transporting this cleanly generated energy in an efficient way.  A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line can provide a way for moving energy generated in rural wind turbines to urban cities.  It is the most efficient and cost effective way to move large amounts of electricity over long distances.  A HVCD line provides lower electricity losses and a smaller footprint compared to alternating current (AC) lines.  HVDC lines do have a downside.  The lines require expensive power converters and have higher maintenance needs than AC lines.  The costs, though, are balanced by the efficiency of clean energy transportation.

Image from http://www.grainbeltexpresscleanline.com/site/page/location

Clean Line Energy Partners is a company that wishes to utilize HVDC technology and build a line that would travel from western Kansas wind farms to cities in Missouri, Illinois, and farther east.  The Houston-based company says the lack of transmission availability has prevented some Kansas wind farms from being further developed.  They hope to overcome this by building the Grainbelt Express Clean Line, a 700 mile overhead HVDC line.  The company has recently received unanimous approval from the Kansas Corporation Commission to conduct business as a public utility.  This brings Clean Line Energy one step closer to construction of their proposed line.

The $2 billion project will be completely privately funded and run off fees from wind farms and those who purchase the energy, so it won't be a burden on Kansas taxpayers.  Not only does the Grainbelt Express Clean Line promise to expand the use of clean wind energy, but it also will benefit the economy by providing new jobs.  The construction of the line estimates the creation of 5,000 construction jobs and the operation and maintenance will go on to make approximately 500 jobs.  The 3,500 megawatts of renewable energy traveling from western Kansas will be able to power up to 1.4 million homes.  What an exciting opportunity for clean energy growth!