Defining wires in 3d models

I am trying to simulate a process that includes flow, electrostatics and mass conservation.

The model is simply a rectangular. One edge is grounded and the opposite includes 59 wires.

The grounded edge also includes a slit where particles are supposed to enter.

I simulate the wires by adding lines very close to each other (0.127 mm distance). Each "wire" is separated from the other (ie two lines form a single wire, no common edges). The space between the wires is supposed to be the insulation.

My problem is that I run out of memory every time I try to mesh, because the geometry is rather big compared to the "wire" size.

I have also tried to use a coarser (global) mesh without luck. I have also tried to divide my domain in half (one where the wires are located and one for the rest), without luck also.

Is there a better way to simulate wires in a 3-d model?
I have tried to use a single line as a wire but it will only allow me to set it as a line charge density. I want to input it as Volts.

I am using a very old version of FEMLAB (3.1) and I am also wondering if the current version works better in handling memory.

Thank you in advance