Q>1.Is copper what they would use? Steel? Aluminium?

High or room temperature super conductors is the answer. Heard a respected electrical engineer talking on the abc radio a while ago. When asked what he was most excited about in the future of the grid it wasn't solar etc... it was the possibilities that super conductors would open up. Zero loss cables.
High temp is still down at what to us is low (liquid nitrogen ) but there are materials that work at higher temperatures.

There is also some possibility of using loops of no loss conductors as batteries. Put the current in abd it just goes round and round.

hardpole said..

When asked what he was most excited about in the future of the grid it wasn't solar etc... it was the possibilities that super conductors would open up. Zero loss cables.

Trouble is if we get better at distributing power the cost will come down and we'll just use more of it. We could also save 8-15 % just by being a bit less slap dash in how we use it.

blog.se.com/energy-management-energy-efficiency/2013/03/25/how-big-are-power-line-losses/

Remember the fuel crisis of the 70s? Holden built a 4 cylinder Commodore, reduced in size from the Kingswood. Then engines got better and rather than pocket the savings we went back to buying bigger cars.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebound_effect_(conservation)