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Clearly something we'll need to get over. HVDC has something like 3% per 1000 KM loss - and when we start generating massive quantities of solar, 3% is going to be pretty acceptable.

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You're talking about roughly ~5T (the prior estimates I'm aware of) in costs for replacing the grid with a HVDC transmission line. That's a massive cost and undertaking. It's much more likely we see an incremental transition to point-to-point transmission in major industrial corridors (Los Angeles/Irvine to IE solar generation capacity in the future, Lousiana Basin, North Texas to the gulf, etc.) where major benefits can be cost effectively be realized.

A "full" transition is unlikely in our lifetimes due to the fact that the majority of the benefits can be reaped without needing such an expense.

I never suggested replacing the entire network with HVDC. Point to point is exactly what I'd have recommended also.

I mean this already exists on the west coast.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_DC_Intertie

No reason we cant start expanding things like this to the east and west.

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