How does an increase in voltage decrease the heat loss in power lines?

[GomerPyle]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

It seems kind of counterintuitive that an increase in voltage decreases the heat loss in resistive power lines...why?

 

[Gauss44]

It seems kind of counterintuitive that an increase in voltage decreases the heat loss in resistive power lines...why?

power is fixed, and p=iv

Transformers are involved.

 

[GomerPyle]

power is fixed, and p=iv

Transformers are involved.

Do you have a more in-depth answer? So AAMC argued something about P=I^2 * R being the power lost at transmission lines and P = V^2/R is the power received by the user, and how using higher voltage and lower current maximizes the power received by the user and lowers the heat loss in the transmission line...i just don't get how..

 

[jtran7]

Do you have a more in-depth answer? So AAMC argued something about P=I^2 * R being the power lost at transmission lines and P = V^2/R is the power received by the user, and how using higher voltage and lower current maximizes the power received by the user and lowers the heat loss in the transmission line...i just don't get how..

The first P is generated at the source so its fix therefore if you created higher V to generate same P i has to decrease.

As a result the second P (power loss from the transmission lines) will be less (less heat loss) because i is less via P=i^2/R (resistance is constant because it is property of the wire that doesn't change)

Therefore the user will receive more of the original power hence they describing it as "maximize power received by user"

 

[GomerPyle]

The first P is generated at the source so its fix therefore if you created higher V to generate same P i has to decrease.

As a result the second P (power loss from the transmission lines) will be less (less heat loss) because i is less via P=i^2/R (resistance is constant because it is property of the wire that doesn't change)

Therefore the user will receive more of the original power hence they describing it as "maximize power received by user"

Awesome - thanks sir.

 

[SpaceBuff12]

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-02-electricity-and-magnetism-spring-2002/video-lectures/lecture-14-biot-savart-law/
This lecture may clear this up for you; look at ~21:00.