Photo: Siemens
These aren’t rabbit-ear antennas for a giant TV set. The unit is actually the world’s first circuit breaker capable of switching on and off power lines that carry 1.2 megavolts. It was created by Siemens at the behest of the Indian government. India wants to upgrade its 800-kilovolt transmission lines to 1.2-MV ones, because costly power losses diminish as voltage is stepped up.











If you are viewing this page with an iPad or iPhone, click here to launch the slideshow:
Willie Jones
Willie Jones is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum. In addition to editing and planning daily coverage, he manages several of Spectrum's newsletters and contributes regularly to the monthly Big Picture section that appears in the print edition.
The Conversation (0)