Authors:
Barbara S. Zaunbrecher
;
Marco Stieneker
;
Rik W. De Doncker
and
Martina Ziefle
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Keyword(s):
Transmission Lines, DC Grid, AC Grid, Social Acceptance, Public Perception, Information.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Energy and Economy
;
Energy-Aware Systems and Technologies
;
Greener Systems Planning and Design
;
Renewable Energy Resources
;
Smart Cities
;
User-Centred and Participatory Design of Services and Systems for Smart Cities
Abstract:
For the transmission of electricity across long distances, high voltage direct current (DC) transmission is
discussed in Germany as an alternative to the currently used alternating current (AC) as it is more efficient
for these distances. Changes in energy infrastructure are known to raise public awareness. However, little is
known whether differences in transmission technology are relevant for the public and if so, to what extent.
Two consecutive empirical studies were run in which acceptance towards transmission lines operated with
DC in contrast to AC was explored. AC and DC power lines were not evaluated differently, yielding overall
quite neutral ratings (Study 1) which might be due to a low information level in the public. A closer look
(Study 2) showed that giving information on technical and design parameters of the transmission lines used
for either AC or DC technology also did not change attitudes substantially. It is therefore concluded that
transmission technology alone d
id not influence acceptance of power lines for the investigated sample. In
addition, a need for more information on DC for high voltage transmission was identified. Further research
is required on the influence of different power line layout of AC and DC on acceptance.
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