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BOC turns up the power in Albany:
Superconducting system provides three to five times more power capacity
Murray Hill, NJ, July 25: This summer, when the demand for electricity to
run pool pumps, fans and air conditioners is at its peak, power customers in
Albany, N.Y., will get some extra capacity thanks to new technology. A system
that eliminates the resistance that causes power losses in traditional copper
cables has begun operating, providing enough power for more than 70,000 area
households.
The power boost is the result of a multi-year project led by one of the world’s
largest industrial gases suppliers, BOC
(NYSE: BOX), along with Schenectady, N.Y.-based SuperPower, Inc., a
subsidiary of Intermagnetics General Corporation’s (NASDAQ:
IMGC) and Osaka, Japan-based Sumitomo Electric Industries. Together, the
companies have commissioned the first in-grid, high temperature
superconductivity (HTS) cable project in the U.S.
Between electric utility National Grid’s (NYSE:NGG) Riverside and Menands
substations in Albany and directly below Interstate 90, superconducting wire is
wrapped to form 350 meters of cable. To achieve superconductivity, or zero
resistance, the wire and cables are cooled inside a vacuum jacket containing
liquid nitrogen, pumped and cooled continuously by an innovative cryogenic
system designed by BOC.
“A growing economy depends on reliable and efficient electricity delivery,” said
Ed Garcia, vice president, PGS Ventures, BOC. “One HTS cable can deliver three
to five times more power than a conventional cable. This means utilities can
accommodate demand increases without having to add multiple distribution lines.
With the U.S. Department of Energy projecting world electricity demand to grow
at an average rate of 2.6 percent per year, this startup is particularly timely
as we work to develop new solutions for our aging energy infrastructure.”
HTS cable is particularly useful in congested urban areas because it can be
installed wherever conventional cables currently run without acquiring new
rights-of-way or digging new pathways. In Albany, the HTS cable is underground
where electricity bottlenecks typically occur, increasing potential power
losses. The HTS cable eliminates those losses and enables the power level to be
maintained throughout the system.
“As we learned from the August 2003 blackout, sudden rises in demand for
electricity can overload generators and trip circuit breakers, propelling
thousands into darkness for days. BOC has worked with our partnering companies
to develop a system that both strengthens and improves our existing electrical
systems, helping to meet the increasing demands of today’s businesses and
consumers,” Garcia said.
Since work on the $26 million HTS cable project began nearly three years ago,
the technology behind the HTS system has been tested extensively, ensuring it
can withstand real-world rigors and demands, such as ground faults and trips. To
ensure reliability, BOC is monitoring the HTS cable system from its Remote
Operating Center in Bethlehem, Pa. Real-time indicators at the center allow
operators to make necessary adjustments to the cryogenic system to keep the
cable system running.
Project funding was provided by the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which
in 2005 ranked the project number one in terms of progress among the nine HTS
projects currently underway in the U.S.
BOC is a member of The BOC Group (NYSE:BOX), the worldwide industrial gases,
vacuum technologies and distribution services company, serves two million
customers in more than 50 countries. It employs some 30,000 people and had total
revenues of over $8.1 billion in 2005. Further information about The BOC Group
may be obtained on the Internet at
www.boc.com.
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