And as for distances - power grids have been built at similar scale, and even longer. When there's essentially free power for the taking, why wouldn't you invest into delivering it where it needs to go?

It costs three or more times as much since you need to use uncommon materials and design from scratch.

>And as for distances - power grids have been built at similar scale, and even longer.

There is no country in the world as large and as sparsely populated as Australia. The distance between Perth and Brisbane is the same as that between NY and SF with no one living between them. When I worked in finance here it was always fun explaining to Americans why their algos will fail regardless of what we do, the speed of light matters.

Hilariously enough, even the US doesn't have one grid continent wide, and it's ten times as densely populated as Australia.

And I'm still confused - what kind of "uncommon materials" are we talking about? What exactly is the problem with normal power delivery infrastructure that precludes it from operating at high temps?

> Elevated air temperatures can reduce the rated capacity of electric transmission lines, meaning that their ability to transmit power will be diminished during peak hours.

That said, it looks like it's just a couple percent, so maybe you just overbuild a little.

You say this like it doesn't get sunny in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane (the top three largest cities)

Plenty of room for solar on existing buildings and structures. No need to transport it long distances.