Overhead lines: voltage drops

The calculation of voltage drops along transmission lines depends on :

• line operating current and rated voltage ;

• Linear line constants: resistance, inductance, capacitance, which in turn depend on the physical and geometric parameters of the line (type of cables, distances between conductors, heights above ground).

Voltage drops can be easily calculated, in their complex formulation, using the calculation tools available everywhere today.

In this article, however, we'll keep the simplified formulation (line-dipole equivalence, active and reactive powers), which retains a certain theoretical and didactic interest.