AMSC and ComEd, a unit of Exelon Corporation and one of the largest utilities in the USA, have agreed to develop between them a deployment plan for AMSC's high temperature superconductor technology to build a superconducting cable system that will strengthen Chicago's electric grid. The Resilient Electric Grid (REG) effort is part of the US Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate's work to secure the nation's electric power grids and improve resiliency against extreme weather, acts of terrorism, or other catastrophic events.
Anne R. Pramaggiore, president and CEO, ComEd, said "We view this project as a natural extension of the infrastructure improvements and technological upgrades that have been under way for the past two years as we develop and deploy the smart grid. Linking our critical urban infrastructure to this superconductor system would provide added reliability, resiliency and security to Chicago's Central Business District, an essential economic engine for the state and region."
The current design of the grid infrastructure in many US cities makes restoration of power after a catastrophic event time-consuming, costly, and unpredictable. The Resilient Electric Grid is a self-healing solution that provides resiliency in the event that portions of the grid are lost for any reason. The ComEd installation would be the first commercial application of this technology in the United States.
"In addition to providing reliable power and increased security, this installation of more than three miles of superconductor cable would create the most extensive superconductor project of this nature in the world," said Terence R. Donnelly, ComEd's chief operating officer. "ComEd's transformation of its T&D business relies heavily on technology and innovation. In this era of increasingly intense weather events and other potential catastrophic occurrences, this project will not only support the City of Chicago but can serve as a model to enable widespread implementation of the superconductor technology nationally and globally."
In a typical US urban infrastructure, power is produced at plants that are located outside of the city limits and send power to urban substations that serve entire districts, but in many US cities they are not connected to each other and therefore cannot back up one another. Furthermore, each substation can handle only a limited amount of capacity. Serving additional load requires either substation expansions or the construction of new substations. The Resilient Electric Grid system offers a solution. The system provides the dual benefit of increasing grid reliability while simultaneously increasing grid capacity by accessing existing but previously underutilised substation assets. The key component to the REG system is AMSC's breakthrough HTS cable system.
As provided in the DHS contract, AMSC will initiate a similar deployment plan with at least two other U.S. utilities
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