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| Volume 3, issue #27 - 10-12-1998 | |
20-10-1998 The US Department of Energy awarded a contract that will result in the world's first high temperature superconducting (HTS) power cable to deliver electricity in a utility network. Detroit Edison will begin using the cable in 2000.
The cable will be manufactured and installed by Pirelli Cables and Systems using HTS wire produced by American Superconductor Corporation.
Lotepro Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde AG, will develop the cooling system for the cable. EPRI will partially fund and help manage the cable project.
"The Department of Energy is delighted to award this contract, thereby opening the gateway to the electricity superhighway of the future," stated Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. "The contract builds on the department's significant investment in developing HTS technology over the last decade and paves the way to commercialisation of a technology that will transform the power delivery systems of the world. This project will help the US build and increase itscompetitive position in the emerging world market for HTS electric power applications."
The total value of the HTS cable project is $ 5.5 mm. The Energy Department, through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is providing $ 2.75 mm over the life of the project and the remainder will be funded by industry participants.
"The cable will be installed in downtown Detroit to support the revitalisation of this older urban area in a non-intrusive, environmentally friendly way, " commented Robert J. Buckler, president and chief operating officer, Detroit Edison Energy Distribution. "This unique power cable system will immediately strengthen our electrical network, and will provide crucial insight into an important 21st century technology."
Existing cable will be retrofitted with the 400 foot superconducting cable in existing conduits which avoids the disruption and damage caused by additional digging. The HTS cable system will carry three times the power carried by conventional copper cables.
"The Detroit Edison cable project is the first of several we expect to undertake in the next few years as the market for high capacity HTS cables starts to grow," said Walter Alessandrini, CEO of Pirelli Cables and Systems North America."
Superconducting technology offers the potential to save the more than $ 6 bn yearly by reducing losses in electricity delivery. Greenhouse gases associated with generating the electricity would be substantially reduced.
"High capacity HTS cables will accelerate the growth and increase the value of an open and competitive marketplace for electricity," stated Greg Yurek, president and CEO of American Superconductor, the manufacturer of the superconducting wire for Detroit Edison's cable system. "This contract represents the home stretch in the commencement of the growth of a significant commercial market for HTS products."
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