Research on the Development of UHV-DC Technology Standardization for Global Energy Interconnection

The goal of global energy interconnection (GEI) is to construct a worldwide interconnected power grid, by which integrated clean and sustainable energy can be dispatched and distributed all over the world. More specifically, GEI aims to build a globally interconnected power grid for dispatching electricity generated by renewable energy worldwide. This goal has become a significant motivation for the academic and industrial fields of electrical and power engineering. An ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct current (DC) technique is expected to play the most important role in creating the backbone for GEI and for performing considerable functions for long-range, high-capacity, and high-voltage transmission. The UHV DC approach has also significantly promoted development progress in regards to insulation, power electronics, communications, control, automation, etc. With the rapid progress made so far, an increasing number of urgent demands have emerged for the standardization of technologies. The present study provides explorations of the UHV DC standards and their systems. First, the background of this research is presented in the introduction. Then, the simultaneous progress in technology standards is discussed. Moreover, the demands for UHV DC standards, especially for the fast development of the GEI, are investigated. Subsequently, a future standard system is proposed, considering overall planning, facilities and examination, buildings, and maintenance. Finally, a feasible roadmap is provided.