Smart Grid Technology: Tipping Point for Superconductors?

Quick Take: High-temperature superconductors have been the Next Big Thing for... oh, roughly 20 years. But with all of the need for new transmission capacity, and new Smart Grid technologies that rely on it, have we finally hit the tipping point for superconductors? Would it finally be cheaper to run superconducting wires through existing rights-of-way, rather than fighting for years to get new corridors approved? Here's one gentleman who thinks the time is finally right.

University of Houston mechanical engineering professor and researcher Venkat Selvamanickam is working on developing high-temperature superconducting wires that, if used in cables, transformers and other components of the electric grid, could drastically improve the electric grid's efficiency and reliability. Superconducting cables could carry up to 10 times more juice than today's copper cables. That Smart Grid technology also could dramatically cut the line loss that plagues traditional cables.

Smart Grid technology news you might also be interested in ...

• The Transmission Smart Grid Imperative (pdf)
• Cut Transmission Line Loss by More than 50%? EPRI Points the Way
• Transmission Takes the Plunge

Related SGN resources ...

• Smart Grid Transmission and Distribution
• Optimizing the Smart Grid
• Smart Grid Asset Management

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