Why are high voltage power lines not insulated?
Why are high voltage power lines not insulated?
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High voltage power lines are not insulated because the thickness of the insulation layer of ordinary wires is far from enough for such high voltage lines¹.
The transmission voltage of high-voltage transmission lines is mostly above 10,000 volts, and the voltage of some lines is as high as 100,000 volts and 500,000 volts¹.
If the insulation layer is to be provided for such a line, the thickness of the insulating layer of the 500,000-volt line is at least about 17 cm¹.
Such a thick insulation layer is bound to greatly increase the weight of the transmission line, so for a transmission line of thousands of kilometers, the cost of investment will certainly increase exponentially¹.
In fact, it’s easier to prevent high-voltage lines from harming people by separating the line from people. If people can’t get close to the line, they will not cause an electric shock.