https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

issue_20070101


DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research

DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research

According to the agency, the research will advance the development and application of high-temperature superconductors, which, the agency says, have the
  • Written by Josh Cable
  • 11th July 2007

According to the agency, the research will advance the development and application of high-temperature superconductors, which, the agency says, have the potential to alleviate congestion on the nation’s electricity grid.

According to the Department of Energy, two of the research projects will help increase reliability and efficiency of power delivery cables, and the remaining three projects will place an emphasis on fault current limiters.

“Modernizing our congested and constrained electric grid – through the development of advanced, new technologies – is vital to delivering reliable and affordable power to the American people,” Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said. “As demand for electricity continues to grow, we must take steps now to identify potential problems, identify solutions and deploy new technologies to provide a secure and steady energy supply. We look forward to the success of this research and recognize it will help us realize President Bush’s goal of a more modern and efficient electricity system.”

Superconductors are solid ceramic compounds that conduct electricity more efficiently than traditional copper wires. Superconductors, according to DOE, can be a key to improving the capacity, efficiency and reliability of electric power equipment.

A major challenge prior to commercialization is to develop superconductors that can operate at relatively “high” temperatures, from approximately minus 320 F to minus 370 F (50 to 77 Kelvin), and in magnetic fields from 1 to 4 Tesla.

National Energy Technology Laboratory Will Manage Projects

According to DOE, selection of these projects allows the agency to build on its past successes in superconductivity, which include operating two distribution-level voltage superconducting cables and utility grids.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage these projects, which are expected to last 2 to 5 years. According to the agency, projects will be equally cost-shared between DOE and selected teams, totaling $103.6 million in DOE/team project cost. DOE funding is expected to be allocated in fiscal years 2007 through 2012, subject to appropriations from Congress, with $10 million from FY 2007 and $7 million requested in FY 2008.

DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) will oversee the research projects. OE leads national efforts to: modernize the electric grid; enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure; and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply.

The companies selected for the power delivery equipment projects are:

  • Carrollton, Ga.-based Southwire Co. – Southwire will use a 13.8-kilovolt superconducting cable to connect two existing substation sites and, DOE said, “solve a real-world electrical load problem near downtown New Orleans.” The cable will connect the LaBarre and Metaire substations, owned by Entergy Corp. of New Orleans, a member of Southwire’s project team. The team also includes DOE’s Oak Ridge (Tennessee) National Laboratory and Germany-based nkt cables. The DOE cost share for the project is $13.3 million.
  • Westborough, Mass.-based American Superconductor Corp. – American Superconductor will develop the key components required to commercially deploy second-generation, high-temperature superconductor cables and demonstrate a single-phase prototype cable in the Long Island Power Authority power grid. In addition to the power authority, American Superconductor’s team includes Paris-based Nexans and Houston-based Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC. DOE cost share for the project is $9 million.

The companies selected for the fault current limiters projects are:

  • American Superconductor – American Superconductor will address the development and in-grid testing of a three-phase, high-voltage, 115-kilovolt fault current limiter, called a SuperLimiter, by using second-generation wire. The SuperLimiter features a proprietary Siemens-developed, low-inductance coil technology that makes the fault current limiter invisible to the grid until it switches to a resistive state. The demonstration will occur at a location operated by team member Southern California Edison. The team also includes Nexans; the University of Houston; Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M.; and Siemens AG. DOE cost share for the project is $12.7 million.
  • San Mateo, Calif.-based SC Power Systems – On the Southern California Edison grid, SC Power Systems will design, test and demonstrate a 138-kilovolt saturable reactor-type fault current limiter. In this type of fault current limiter, a high-temperature superconductor is used with a direct-current power supply to saturate an iron core that interfaces with the line in which the current is to be limited. SC Power’s team includes DOE’s Los Alamos National Laboratory; Allentown, Pa.-based Air Products and Chemicals Inc.; Manchester, N.H.-based Cryo-Industries of America Inc.; New York City-based Consolidated Edison Co.; Rosemead, Calif.-based California Edison Inc.; San Carlos, Calif.-based Delta Star Inc.; and Germany-based Trithor GmbH. DOE cost share is $11 million.
  • Schenectady, N.Y.-based SuperPower Inc. – SuperPower Inc. will design, test and demonstrate on the American Electric Power grid a 138-kilovolt fault current limiter that features a matrix design consisting of parallel “second-generation” high-temperature superconductor elements and conventional coils. SuperPower’s team includes Osaka, Japan-based Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.; Kyoto, Japan-based Nissan Electric Co. Ltd.; Murray Hill, N.J.-based BOC Group Inc.; Gahanna, Ohio-based American Electric Power; and DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. DOE cost share: $5.8 million.
Tags: ar issue_20070101 mag

Most Recent


  • What’s my truck worth?
    Truck Value VIN Decoding & Make/Year/Model Lookup
  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    Calendar of events
    A list of NIGP courses, conferences and webinars for NIGP members held in December 2012 and January 2013.
  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    NIGP's 67th Annual Forum and Products Exposition
    Awards presented at NIGP Forum recognized procurement professionals "reaching new heights."
  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    UPPCC new certifications
    The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council announces that 208 individuals successfully completed the spring 2012 UPPCC certification examinations administered in May 2012.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    Number of contracting professionals on the rise
  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    FBI employee sentenced to probation for accepting cruise
  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    GSA names Brasseux deputy administrator
  • DOE Will Spend up to $51.8 Million on Superconductor Research
    Auction delivers two-year power pact to Texas community

White papers


5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze

30th May 2023

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth

24th May 2023

The Secret Ingredient to Local Government Employee Retention

23rd May 2023
view all

Webinars


How to Centralize and Build a Grants Management Process at your Organization

24th May 2023

Making Permitting Easier: What We’ve Learned Helping America’s Largest Cities Improve Their Permitting Process

16th May 2023

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

16th May 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 best suburbs for city-like living

1st June 2023

Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West

30th May 2023

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs

25th May 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.