New Project on Superconductivity

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Corporation SuperPower announced the opening of a project to develop high-temperature superconductors. The first superconducting cable is laid between the Riverside and Menands substations in Albany, NY. High-temperature superconductivity means the transfer of energy with zero losses, compared with 7 - 10 per cent taking place in the case of conventional copper conductors.

The first phase of the project took place in July 2006, when between the same substation cable was laid, consisting of two sections: 320 and 30 meters. In the second phase of the two sections have been replaced by a single, 350 -meter technology with high-temperature superconductors of the second generation. This technology has a high potential for widespread use in a variety of devices: motors, generators, transformers, cables, etc.

This project was established after the conclusion of the license agreement between the National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, under the authority of the Ministry of Energy, and the company SuperPower. The purpose of the contract is to conduct testing and introduction of technologies developed in the laboratory, which allows to significantly reduce the cost of production of industrial -temperature superconductors.