Technology

The underlying technology in the BOLD® design is as impressive as its appearance.




Testing &
Development

Millions of simulations and tests have supported early assumptions from AEP’s engineering team about BOLD’s unique performance characteristics.

Burndy lab

Manchester, NH

Spacer-damper mechanical testing

Epri Lab

Lenox, MA

Single-phase corona cage testing

Three-phase power frequency testing (wet and dry corona & audible noise)

Lightning performance

Switching performance

CELPI

Bucharest, Romania

Lattice structure testing facility

HPS lab

Wadsworth, OH

Single-phase insulator and hardware assembly power frequency testing

Kinetrics

Toronto, ON

Spacer-damper mechanical testing

Valmont

Valley, Nebraska

Full-scale structure testing

Electrical Tests EPRI-min
Valmont Structural Testing-min

Bold Benefits

Higher Capacity

Significant increases in power delivery capability while avoiding complexities and costs of series compensation

More Efficient

Maximum right-of-way utilization and low-impedance bundled conductors, lower line losses

Less Community Impact

Simple, elegant, low-profile design that reduces structure heights along with electromagnetic field levels

TRANSMISSION WITH CURVE APPEAL®




Efficiency

What Does It Mean?

When we say efficiency we mean a lot of different things, from limiting energy losses to reusing right-of-way by replacing old transmission lines with more capable BOLD lines instead of siting additional lines. 

  • Smaller environmental footprint
  • Ability to increase voltage without additional right of way acquisition
  • Decreased energy losses

Magnetic Field Mitigation



Traditional 345kV


Magnetic Field Profile at 1000 MVA Per Circuit Super Bundle Arrangement (A-B-C/A-B-C)

BOLD 345kV


Magnetic Field Profile at 1000 MVA Per Circuit Super Bundle Arrangement (A-B-C/A-B-C)


Magnetic Field Intensity(mG)

emf-5 emf-4 emf-3 emf-2 emf-1