STI’s VP of Marketing and Product Line Management Adam Shelton said: "At CIGRE 2014, we are delighted to be working with industry leaders who have successfully deployed superconductivity in the grid.

"Our joint goal is to share the value proposition of SFCLs and HPSCs with electric infrastructure companies and others in the electricity transmission and distribution industry. By leveraging our collective expertise to assist decision makers with critical network planning, we expect to broaden the market reach of next generation solutions.

"Superconducting applications help to optimize existing power systems and improve the stability and reliability of the grid. Superconducting wire is a key component of the overall solution. In conjunction with our plan to begin producing our Conductus(R) wire in commercial volumes later this year, we are working closely with our SFCL and HPSC customers to optimize performance and improve capacity to meet industry demands."

High Power Superconducting Cable (HPSC)

HPSC is capable of transmitting 5 to 10 times the electrical current of traditional copper or aluminum cables with improved efficiency. This enables medium voltage feeds to load pockets in dense urban areas that are often saturated with aging infrastructure and where the construction of distribution substations is not feasible or economical. Key benefits of HPSCs include the following:

Unmatched power transmission capacity — Increased Amps not Volts
No thermal impact on environment, enabling more power to be transferred in a limited underground space
No outer magnetic field, enabling data and phone lines to be run along with the power cables
Reduced substation footprint requirement
Reduction in transmission loss
Reduced civil work cost
Possible elimination of transformers

Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SFCL)

With power demand on the rise and new power generation sources being added, the grid has become overcrowded and vulnerable to catastrophic faults. Faults are abnormal flows of electrical current that act as a large scale short circuit. SFCLs act like powerful surge protectors, preventing harmful faults from taking down substation equipment by reducing the fault current to a safer level (20% — 50% reduction) so that the existing switchgear can still protect the grid. Superior fault protection increases equipment reliability and survivability, while providing enhanced power recovery time for Smart Grid systems. Key benefits of SFCLs include the following:

Protects transformers and switch gear from damaging fault currents that cause significant blackouts
Enhances system safety, stability and efficiency
Allows direct connect at medium voltage to renewable energy sources
Provides for substation interconnect with Busbar Coupling, thereby improving the utilization of existing assets
Reliable current limitation within the first half cycle
Reduces mechanical and thermal stresses in the grid