Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC) announced the operation of the world’s first high temperature superconductor (HTS) power transmission cable system in a commercial power grid.
The 138,000 volt (138 kV) system, which consists of three individual HTS power cable phases running in parallel, was energized on April 22, 2008 and is operating successfully in LIPA’s Holbrook transmission right of way.
The cable system, including six outdoor terminations for connection to LIPA’s grid, was designed, manufactured and installed by Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry. The cable utilizes HTS wire produced by AMSC, which also is the prime contractor for the project.
The 2,000-foot-long cable system is cryogenically cooled using a liquid nitrogen refrigeration system from Air Liquide.
The Department of Energy (DOE) previously funded $27.5 million of the $58.5 million total project cost, which advances the Department’s ongoing efforts, through the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, to modernize the Nation’s electricity delivery infrastructure.
The cable system contains hair-thin, ribbon-shaped HTS wires that conduct 150 times the electricity of similar sized copper wires. This power density advantage enables transmission-voltage HTS cables to utilize far less wire and yet conduct up to five times more power–in a smaller right of way–than traditional copper-based cables. When operated at full capacity, the new HTS cable system is capable of transmitting up to 574 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes.
HTS power cables are envisioned by the DOE as a component of a modern electricity superhighway–one that is free of bottlenecks and can readily transmit power to customers from remote generation sites, such as wind farms.
HTS cables conduct electricity with virtually no electrical losses, meaning more of the power generated at power plants gets to customers. Conventional power grids typically lose seven to 10% of power due to the inherent electrical resistance experienced with copper wires. The higher electrical efficiency of HTS cables provides a means to reduce carbon emissions while meeting the growing demand for electric power in the digital age.
In mid-2007, AMSC announced that it would lead the development of an extension of LIPA’s HTS cable system. The new cable will be powered by AMSC’s second generation (2G) HTS wire, branded as 344 superconductors. AMSC, who will again serve as the project’s prime contractor and wire supplier, has chosen Nexans as the cable manufacturer and Air Liquide as the provider of the cryogenics system. The DOE plans to provide up to $9 million in cost sharing for the $18 million project.
About American Superconductor
AMSC is a leading energy technologies company offering an array of solutions based on two proprietary technologies: programmable power electronic converters and high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires. The company’s products, services and system-level solutions enable cleaner, more efficient and more reliable generation, delivery and use of electric power. AMSC is a leader in alternative energy, offering grid interconnection solutions as well as licensed wind energy designs and electrical systems. As the world’s principal supplier of HTS wire, the company is enabling a new generation of compact, high-power electrical products, including power cables, grid-level surge protectors, Secure Super GridsTM technology, motors, generators, and advanced transportation and defense systems.
Loading...