Learn
How an offshore HVDC link works
Follow the power from a wind farm out at sea to the grid on land. Each part is tied to something you do in the game, and each fact says where it came from.
Start the tour ↓The journey
Six parts, in the order the power travels
Hover or move your pointer over a part to spin it.
Why direct current?
AC for the grid, DC for the long way under the sea
Most of the grid runs on alternating current. For a long cable under the sea, direct current has some real advantages, and some costs.
- Lower losses over long distances. HVDC has lower electrical losses than HVAC when the route is long. SSEN Transmission
- Better control. The flow can be set directly, which helps networks with a lot of wind. SSEN Transmission
- It costs more up front. The converter stations are costly and large, so a short route is usually cheaper as AC. SSEN Transmission
- General background: a long AC cable under water keeps charging and discharging like a capacitor, which uses up some of its capacity. A DC cable does not have that problem.
In the game
Why do the maps behave differently?
Each map changes a few numbers. Longer links lose more power on the way, and a weaker cable has less room before it heats up. These are game values, not figures for real cables.
| Map | Character | Safe limit | Loss factor | Trip time |
|---|
Glossary
Words you will meet in the game
Now try it
Hold the button, keep the cable under its limit, and watch the parts above at work.
Play now Learn by playing (tutorial)Sources
Where the facts come from
Figures were read from these pages in November 2026. Real links vary, so check the source before relying on a number.