The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced details of the next round of projects it intends to finance under the auspices of the superconductivity partnership initiative. Seven projects have been selected to demonstrate high temperature superconductivity (HTS) power applications.
The new projects include electrical generators (full story on page 3), power cables, transformers and magnetic separators for mineral and chemical processing. Total investment is expected to be $117 million, with around $57 million coming from the government and the balance from the industrial participants. The programme is aimed at advancing HTS to commercialisation in electric power applications.
Among the selected projects, Pirelli Power Cables and Systems will demonstrate a superconducting cable in the power grid of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) on Long Island, New York. The HTS wire for the project will be supplied by American Superconductor. Other partners include the Electric Power Research Institute, LIPA and Air Liquide.
The cable system will be based on a co-axial (cold dielectric) design and will deliver 77 MW over 800m near East Shoreham, Long Island. The project builds on previous projects including one underway in Detroit under the auspices of Detroit Edison involving three single core (warm dielectric) cables in downtown Detroit. The Long Island project will cost around $18 million.
