…
The $10 billion plan just approved by parliament will involve three high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) lines running north to south, through Corridors A, C, and D respectively. (I don’t know what happened to poor Corridor B.) Here’s their nifty illustration:
Like much else in the clean-energy world, HVDC lines have been the target of considerable innovation recently. It’s now possible to route them through existing AC corridors(回廊地帯・重要な交通ルート・廊下), using existing towers, thus minimizing the need for disruptive(破壊的な＞disrupt：混乱した) siting battles. Work is underway on high-tech converters that can also act as breakers, allowing power to be cut off in an instant in the case of fault or accident on the AC grid ? at least in that sense, HVDC lines are getting “smarter” than existing AC lines.
In approving these lines, Germany is taking the first step toward a much-discussed “supergrid” that will interconnect all of Europe:
