We are inundated with stories of Google, Alexa, iPhones, VR, AR, and autonomous cars. But the most impactful tech is often less exciting and personal, more functional and industrial.
Take the rather unexciting field of electricity transmission. China is leading the way in implementing technology which is better suited to carry high voltages over long distances (the technology is called Ultra High-Voltage Direct Current, or UHVDC). These high capacity links make the grid greener and more stable than the usual alternating current transmission which works well over shorter distances, but becomes tricky with high voltage and longer distance.
Concerns over pollution have driven the Chinese government to set up coal fired power stations in remote areas away from urban populations. Hence the need to transmit.
This all just struck me as a technology story which is saving the planet, and is happening as we speak – but for some reason it is deemed to be uninteresting compared to consumer tech….which is quite interesting.
Chimpwithcans 