Why is electrical power transmitted at high voltage and low current?

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Why is electrical power transmitted at high voltage and low current?

by EE-Expert in Electrical Power Generation, Transmission And Distribution asked 1 month ago

Why is electrical power transmitted at high voltage and low current?

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EE-Expert · Answer 1 · 2025-09-02T07:08:48+0000

Power loss in transmission lines is given by:

$$
P_{\text{loss}} = I^2 R
$$

where $I$ is the current and $R$ is the line resistance.

If power is transmitted at low voltage, the current is high, leading to large losses.
By transmitting at high voltage, current is reduced, which minimizes $I^2R$ losses and improves efficiency.

That’s why power plants step up voltage (e.g., 11 kV to hundreds of kV) using step-up transformers for transmission, and then step it down near consumers for safe distribution.

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Why is electrical power transmitted at high voltage and low current?

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