[Reading Science] Zero Power Loss... Even Modern Science Can't Solve It?

The technology to reduce power loss to zero (0) during power transmission has not yet been commercialized.
[Photo by YouTube screen capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Although science and technology have advanced to the point where humanity can explore Mars, many unresolved challenges remain. In particular, there are numerous unsolved problems in the field of electricity, which we use abundantly in daily life without much inconvenience.

A representative example is the "power lost during transmission." Electricity is transmitted from power plants to factories or homes through wires. The electricity travels along the wires to the place of use. During this process, a significant amount of power is lost. Many scientists have tried to solve this problem, but power loss has not yet been prevented.

When electricity flows through a metal, the temperature of the metal rises. In 1827, German physicist Ohm proposed the hypothesis that "Voltage (V) and current (I) are proportional, but the proportional constant is not determined by voltage and current themselves, rather it is determined by the thickness and length of the wire (V=IR)." In other words, at the same voltage, the higher the temperature, the less current flows.

In this hypothesis, R is resistance. The reason the temperature of the metal through which electricity flows rises is due to resistance (R). When resistance increases depending on the thickness and length of the wire, more heat is generated, and at this time, electrical energy is converted into heat energy, causing loss.

Generally, power plants are located far from cities. It is said that about 7% of power is lost due to resistance during the process of transmitting electricity from power plants to factories or homes through wires. Scientists are racking their brains to develop technology that can prevent this precious 7% power loss.

The technology developed to prevent power loss is the "superconducting cable." A superconducting cable can be seen as a wire that uses the superconducting phenomenon where the electrical resistance of a material becomes '0' at a certain temperature. However, this superconducting cable can only be used by lowering the temperature to minus 196°C using liquid nitrogen.

If the power loss of copper wires currently used for power transmission is about 7%, this cable with zero electrical resistance can transmit power from the power plant to homes without any loss. The problem is that the superconducting phenomenon appears only when the temperature is constantly maintained at minus 196°C using liquid nitrogen.

It is difficult to always maintain the minus 196°C state with liquid nitrogen, and the cost involved is not insignificant, so commercialization is expected to take more time. The superconducting cables currently developed reduce power loss compared to conventional copper wires, but it cannot be said that the loss is completely eliminated. It is known that this technology is being applied in some sections domestically as well.

To completely eliminate power loss, a "room-temperature superconductor" that can exhibit superconducting phenomena at room temperature (about 20°C), which can be considered everyday temperature, must be developed. The superconducting cables developed with current science and technology can be considered a "half success."

It is not easy to transmit electricity without loss, and electricity cannot be stored either. The technology to store electricity with modern science does not store electrical energy as it is but converts electrical energy into chemical energy for storage. The reason we can use electricity without wires, like in smartphones, is because batteries have been developed.

When electricity stored in batteries is drawn out, loss also occurs. During the complex process of converting electrical energy into chemical energy and then back into electrical energy, depending on the type of battery, losses range from as little as 10% to as much as 50%. A method to draw electricity from batteries without power loss has not yet been developed.

A method to store electricity generated by natural phenomena such as lightning has also not been developed. The voltage of lightning is said to be billions of volts, which is more than 500,000 times greater than the 220V used in homes. Developing a battery that can store the energy of sudden lightning strikes and technology that can accurately predict where lightning will strike must be developed together for this to be possible. Currently, this technology is impossible.

How wonderful would it be if we could store this vast amount of energy? Although scientific development has made human life more convenient, the road ahead still feels long.