Research on Commercial Applications and Key Technical Barriers of Submarine Power Cables Technology for Global Energy Interconnection

The establishment of the concept of global energy interconnection (GEI) has driven the development and integration of large-scale renewable energy to the frontline of the electrical power industry. It is a basic platform integrating large-scale energy bases and various distributed power sources in various continents and countries, and enhance international and regional cooperation to promote world peace and development. Under the GEI framework, most of the renewable energy bases are located in depopulated zones, such as the sea region in the equatorial area, and North Pole. Under existing technical conditions, power transmission from these bases to the load center is relayed to submarine power cables. In this paper, the current technical conditions and commercial applications of submarine cables are reviewed. Several technical barriers is analyzed. Current research progress in terms of higher applied voltage and large capacity of cables is also reviewed, with a focus on the needs of GEI.