A Study on Magnetic Field Under Unconventional Lines With Increased Power Delivery

To achieve net-zero emission in America by 2050, high voltage transmission capacity must expand approximately 60% by 2030 and triple by 2050 to connect further renewable (wind and solar) facilities to increased power delivery. Addressing this challenge requires not only conventional transmission lines (TLs) but also innovative, unconventional designs that modify phase configurations and subconductor arrangements in geometrically optimized ways. Different line design aspects need to be studied to realize these unconventional lines. This paper calculates and studies the magnetic field under the two unconventional lines we proposed in our previous work. The magnetic field was analyzed across the entire Right of Way (ROW) using validated simulation models. The quantitative analysis reveals that while the conventional 500 kV line generates a ground-level magnetic field of 5 μT, the unconventional designs—TL-1 and TL-2—achieve significantly lower values of less than 0.5 μT and 3 μT, respectively. Furthermore, these designs comply with ICNIRP and WHO safety standards across the entire ROW, highlighting their potential to enhance system capacity while maintaining public health and safety.