New Generation Recyclable MV Cables for Futre Grids — A Case Study

The demand for clean energy is increasing rapidly all over the world. The renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, solar) have a greater share among other sources in the new capacity addition due to shorter turnaround time. Generally, large-scale solar and wind farms are connected to electricity grids using medium voltage (MV) cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables. Recently, polypropylene (PP) based cables have been found to possess equally better or superior electrical and thermal properties as compared to XLPE cables and these are completely recyclable unlike XLPE cables. The problem with XLPE cables is non-recyclability due to cross-linking. The energy consumption in production of PP based cables is approximately 50% less as compared to XLPE cables and shorter lead times. This paper presents an analysis of XLPE and PP cables for a typical large- scale solar and wind farm. The result shows that the use of PP based cables contributes less to greenhouse gas emissions and is, therefore, environment friendly and contributes to the circular economy.