Growing power demand 
A combination of growing demand for electricity and the need to upgrade or replace existing equipment means that massive investment will be required to meet future needs. The International Energy Agency estimates that over $6 trillion needs to be invested in transmission and distribution by 2030, and as much again on generation. A total of 5,087 GW of generating capacity will be built worldwide by 2030, with 2,700 GW of that in developing countries (1,100 GW in China alone).
Distance of power transmission
Electric power is often generated in plants far from users, and near to coal, gas, hydro or other inputs. Covering the distances between producer and consumer is the first challenge of transmitting electricity. With less loss due to resistance, the longest distance lines are HVDC - well suited for long distance transmission from point to point.
HVDC is the only way to interconnect two asynchronous AC systems. HVDC is the answer: move more
power, more efficiently, with the lowest losses possible.
Integrating renewables 
One problem with increasing the use of renewable energy sources is that inputs can vary considerably. The sun can stop shining, the wind can drop with little warning and a dry season can reduce the flow to hydroelectric plants. Even too much wind can be a drawback if it blows at night when there is little or no demand for the energy generated. Solutions must consider how to integrate different sources seamlessly into a single network to supply power cheaply, safely and dependably. Advanced software will help power suppliers to anticipate demand fluctuations. Developing storage devices that can hold more charge will allow electricity to be stocked.
Efficient power supply
Around two-thirds of primary energy is lost, mainly due to power conversion, and up to 16% of electricity generated never reaches users – it is lost by the networks, like water leaking from a pipe. The US Energy Information Administration calculated that electricity lost in transmission and distribution cost the economy $20 billion in 2005. Using modern HVDC technology to manage connections among the different parts of the system (energy conversion, energy storage, control and power transmission) could help to produce savings by preventing outages and reducing the space needed to house equipment.
Building new equipment is one way to try to meet the growing electricity demand, but improving power supply efficiency could allow us to do more with less.