Transmission and Distribution Losses

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Fact or Fiction?

Varying range:

  • 67%? Huge! Of this, 50% is distribution losses. [1]
  • 5% [2]
  • 7% of energy used is lost in transmission - [3]. Transmission line losses appear to be amazingly low.

Who is lying?

Complexity

  • There are technical and commercial losses [[4]. Technical is physics. Commercial is the load matching, idle running, startup-shutdown, etc.
  • Base load losses? Power plant idles when nobody is using electricity - meaning 100% is wasted unless there is load matching.
  • Logic - transmission lines will be designed to be as long as possible until energy loss at the end is really high, but better usage closer by makes it econ feasible.