I'm now into the rabbit hole. OLD E suggested reading up on Ultra Hight Voltage DC. Here's a link to an article from an industry magazine
https://www.powermag.com/benefits-of-high-voltage-direct-current-transmission-systems/
These are excerpts from that article:
Typical utility-scale power plants generate alternating current (AC) electricity, and most electrical loads run on AC power. Thus, the majority of transmission lines carrying power around the world are of the AC type. However, there are instances when high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems offer significant benefits.
“One big advantage to HVDC is the efficiency of power transmission over long distances,” George Culbertson, vice president of power delivery markets for HDR, told POWER. “If the transmission line route is longer than about 300 miles, DC is a better option because AC lines have more line losses than DC for bulk power transfer.”
The challenge, however, is that to transmit via HVDC, two converter stations are needed. First, the AC power must be converted to DC to begin the transmission process, and then when it gets to the desired tie-in destination, the DC power must be converted back to AC to be utilized on the grid.
In 1997, ABB commissioned the world’s first HVDC demonstration project using voltage source converters (VSCs).
VSC technology was further improved when Siemens introduced a modular multilevel converter (MMC). The Trans Bay Cable project, which runs between San Francisco and Pittsburg, California, was completed in 2010, using Siemens’ HVDC Plus system.
“HVDC is the technology of choice for reliably and efficiently transmitting large amounts of power over long distances with minimal losses…
“A DC line can deliver comparable amounts—or even higher amounts—of power using only two sets of conductors as opposed to three, so the towers don’t have to be quite as large resulting in much less installed cost on the transmission part of it. You can also run longer DC lines underground.
I'm digging up the answers to my own question, but hey I'm learning something which means "I ain't dead yet"
