China’s Electric Highways: Awe, Engineering, and the Myths of Invisible Danger - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica discusses China’s ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission grid, highlighting its vast scale and engineering achievements. China has constructed hundreds of thousands of kilometers of high-voltage corridors connecting diverse energy sources—wind, solar, hydro, and coal—across its vast territory. The grid includes lines operating at 800 kV, 1,000 kV, and 1,100 kV, such as the Changji–Guquan ±1,100 kV link that transmits up to 12,000 MW over 3,300 km. This infrastructure significantly improves efficiency by reducing current and thus resistive losses over long distances, although some losses remain due to line resistance and conversion stations. While the article praises the engineering feat, it critiques the sensationalized portrayal of the grid’s effects on nearby residents, such as claims of villagers feeling numb or sparks flying from umbrellas. These anecdotes, the article argues, drift into myth rather than fact