A novel approach to providing on route power supplies to rural and urban communities in close proximity to the extra high voltage DC transmission line

Abstract

Extra high voltage DC transmission is planned for the many power corridors of the continental African grid. These lines will traverse the countryside and will pass over many rural and urban communities. These communities will in general have no formal access to grid electrical energy. Access to electrical energy for the basics of light and heat will provide a better quality of life for all. It is thus an expectation of the engineering design that such access be provided affordably. Laboratory based studies of HVDC sources have shown that the corona energy can be captured by conventional corona cages and made available as a continuous energy source. The low levels of the energy source may require that the energy be employed in association with a conventional battery or solar energy source; the constant is that the corona energy is always available and will serve as a continuous recharge for the battery employed. This arrangement provides a unique and novel approach for the use of the corona energy, which would otherwise be lost to atmosphere radiation. There is no charge for the otherwise lost energy and every tower of the DC circuit could have the corona cages installed and built at time of line construction. The dimensions of the cage can be optimised to serve other DC line requirements.