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Low-Voltage Cables "Transmission and Distribution Electrical Engineering" breaks down transmission and distribution cables into five separate categories. The most basic category is "low voltage." This includes cables used for telephone wires, as well as fire-retarded and resistant cables. These cables have the lowest maximum voltage of the four groups, ranging from 50 to 1,000 volts. Medium-Voltage Cables Medium-voltage cables --- which have a maximum capacity ranging from three to 7.2 kilovolts --- are the next class of transmission and distribution lines. These cables are typically used for solid dielectric and MI/MIND purposes. High-Voltage Cables The third class of transmission and distribution cables is high voltage. These power lines can carry a maximum voltage capacity of 10 to 150 kilovolts. While these cables can be used for the same purposes as low- and medium-voltage cables, their higher threshold makes them less cost-efficient than lower-grade wires. The main purposes of high-voltage wires include oil-filled cables, as well as gas-pressure or gas-insulated ducts. Very High-Voltage Cables Like medium- and high-voltage cables, very high-voltage lines are used for solid dielectric, oil-filled and gas-insulated ducts, but in situations where a higher maximum voltage is required. These cables have a maximum capacity of 150 to 300 kilovolts. Because of their very high-voltage capacity, these are typically transmission lines and not distribution lines.

This article, the first in a three-part series, focuses on the need for a new class of distribution grid infrastructure, one that enables distribution utilities to dynamically manage power flow from sub-station to load, ensures end-to-end power quality and reliability in the face of increasingly dynamic grid conditions, and drives greater systemic efficiencies, all based on a business case that stands alone without reliance on subsidy.

the total worldwide capacity of distributed generation (DG) contained in microgrids will more than quintuple over the next 6 years, growing from 764 megawatts (MW) in 2012 to nearly 4,000 MW in 2018. “distributed generation assets are the foundation of any microgrid,” says senior research analyst Peter Asmus.  “Although the majority of DG today is in the form of fossil fuel-based systems, primarily diesel generators, recent growth rates confirm that the fastest-growing distributed power generation technologies are combined heat and power and solar photovoltaic systems, thanks to steep drops in prices for natural gas and solar PV panels.”

As the economy attempts to take off from the current position, the power sector holds the key to support rapid economic growth in the currently power starved country. This is likely to create significant investment opportunities in the power sector. Currently, there exists a major power crisis in the country. The scope to bridge the impending power demand-supply gap offers huge investment opportunities for both the multinational and domestic companies across the power industry value chain from generation to transmission and distribution and in distributed power generation including power rental sector.

Superconductor cables, only recently available for utility applications, uniquely solve these issues. A single distribution voltage superconductor cable can carry amounts of power normally associated with transmission voltage levels, therefore eliminating the need for multiple cables and greatly simplifying placement issues.  Superconductor cables also have a unique dual-personality; under normal conditions they conduct power very efficiently, but during faults they actually limit the amount of current that can flow through them. This eliminates the risk of substation equipment damage from excessively high fault currents when paralleling substations. The installation of superconductor cable-powered bus ties between distribution substations serve as an efficient means to utilize more effectively and fully the existing power delivery infrastructure while simultaneously increasing reliability.

Most recently, they've been piloting distributed energy storage (DES). If the predictions below are true, DES could be a real game-changer.

The electricity loads being served by today’s alternating current (AC) power grids are increasingly natively direct current (DC), at the end-use level.  In fact, according to some estimates, approximately 80 percent of the power loads in commercial and residential structures are now DC.  Along with the broad political and policy support for inverter-based native DC power sources, this is leading many industry players to conclude that it makes inherent sense to reduce DC-AC-DC conversion losses and integrate DC distribution networks into the power supply infrastructure.  According to a new report from Navigant Research, the total worldwide capacity of DC distribution networks will surpass 2.3 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, up from just 196 megawatts (MW) in 2013.

"The Mexico building construction market is an integral part of Alcan Cable's North American growth strategy for our STABILOY® cable products.  The expansion of the distribution warehouse in Mexico City demonstrates Alcan Cable's continued commitment to the Mexican and Latin American markets," said Jack Miller, President, Alcan Cable.At the open house, guests were able to tour the distribution center and meet Alcan Cable de México personnel and members of Alcan Cable's U.S. management team.  The facility features additional inventory capacity, redesigned cutting and packaging equipment, and a training center to host customer educational programs about STABILOY® cables.The company's STABILOY® brand of aluminum alloy cables have become the standard for commercial, institutional and industrial building applications in Mexico.  Alcan Cable de México utilizes a network of electrical distributors to sell its products throughout Mexico.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) this week released a new policy to boost distributed generation.

Wire, cable, and wire management products supplier IEWC announced that it plans to expand its international distribution services with the opening of a sales office and stocking facility near Sao Paulo, Brazil.