Columbus, OH, September 18: A new
technology that holds promise to transform the global transmission and
distribution of electric power was formally energized today near Columbus,
Ohio. The $9 million project uses a second-generation High Temperature
Superconducting (HTS) cable system to efficiently deliver electric power to
approximately 8,600 homes and businesses in suburban Columbus.
The Columbus project is the first demonstration
of the new Triax HTS cable design, which dramatically reduces the cost of
superconducting systems and brings the technology one step closer to
commercial viability. The system was developed by
Southwire Company and
its partners, American Electric Power (NYSE:
AEP), Praxair (NYSE:
PX), American Superconductor (NASDAQ:
AMSC) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL).
Approximately 200 meters (660 feet) of Triax
HTS cable from Southwire are part of the system distributing electric power
to residential, commercial and industrial customers through AEP's Bixby
substation in Groveport, Ohio. The installation phase of the two-year
demonstration project came in on time and on budget.
Superconducting cables, operating at
extremely low temperatures, eliminate virtually all resistance to the flow
of electric current. One Triax HTS cable can carry as much current as 18
large copper cables, with much less energy loss.
"This project demonstrates the potential role
for superconductivity in modernizing our electricity system," said Secretary
of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. "This new development allows power lines to
increase capacity in congested urban areas while using less space. I'm
pleased to be part of this excellent and innovative team."
Superconducting cables are one solution to
the challenging task of providing sufficient electric power to densely
populated areas. In an increasing number of cities, there is little room
underground to bury cable. The cost of building new tunnels or ducts,
including the cost of acquiring the rights-of-way, to lay additional cable
is prohibitive - representing up to 75 percent of a cable project. With
their higher capacity, superconducting cables have the potential to multiply
the supply of electricity to an area using the existing infrastructure
footprint.
Despite these advantages, high temperature
superconducting cable systems are still expensive. The U.S. Department of
Energy provided partial funding through its Superconductivity Partnership
with Industry program to help make the Columbus project possible.
"AEP has a long history of supporting
innovation in power generation, transmission and distribution. The
demonstration of the Triax cable at our Bixby Station is another example of
how we seek to advance technologies to help increase the capacity of and
ensure the reliability of our power delivery network," said Michael G.
Morris, AEP's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Over the
next two years, this project will provide an invaluable, real-world test of
state-of-the-art superconducting cable technology on an operating power
distribution system."
Rapid advances in HTS cable design are
continuing to lower the cost of superconducting systems, with the goal of
making superconductivity feasible for commercial applications over the next
few years. The Columbus project unveils an important advance toward this
goal: the Triax HTS cable. Designed in a joint venture of Southwire and nkt
cables, a European cable manufacturer, this second-generation cable design
can carry up to 3,000 amps of power, approximately three times more current
than other superconducting projects now energized or under construction.
"Superconducting cables have the potential to
increase efficiencies in the delivery of electric power in the same way that
an expressway can handle more traffic than a typical city street," said
Stuart Thorn, president and chief executive officer of Southwire. "The Triax
cable design is a major step forward, and we are excited to demonstrate its
potential for delivering more power to more people."
The Triax cable places the three necessary
phase conductors concentrically around a common central core, surrounded by
a copper shield. Earlier designs required a separate cable for each phase.
The more compact Triax design reduces by half the quantity of HTS wire
needed. It also reduces the cold surface area, and with it the critical
cooling requirements. Both of these innovations lower the cost of HTS
systems.
"The Columbus project drew on our expertise
in the practical application of cryogenic refrigeration solutions," said
Steven Lerner, senior vice president and chief technology officer at
Praxair. "The proprietary system has a unique level of redundancy to assure
uninterrupted, lower-loss electric power transmission."
Because HTS cables can carry more current at
a lower voltage over short or long distances, large power transformers can
be located farther away from urban centers, allowing urban planners to free
up valuable real estate for development or green space. HTS technology also
enables greater interconnectivity between electrical substations, creating
redundancies that increase the reliability of the electrical grid.
"2006 will undoubtedly go down in history as
the year in which high temperature superconductor technology started to
deliver on its long held promise," said Greg Yurek, CEO of American
Superconductor. "We are witnessing the birth of a new era for the world's
utility grids and taking one of the first steps in meeting our growing
appetite for electric power."
For more information on the new HTS cable
design and the Bixby substation demonstration project, visit
http://www.supercables.com
About the HTS Partners
Southwire, Carrollton, Ga., is a pioneer in
the application of superconductivity to electrical distribution and the
leading North American manufacturer of electrical wire and cable, with 2005
sales of $3.2 billion.
www.southwire.com
American Electric Power Co., Columbus, Ohio,
is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering
electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states.
www.aep.com
Praxair, Danbury, Conn., is the largest
industrial gases company in North and South America, with 2005 sales of $7.7
billion. www.praxair.com
American Superconductor, Westborough, Mass.,
is the world's principal vendor of high temperature superconductor wire and
large rotating superconductor machinery. chttp://www.praxair.com
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the
Department of Energy's largest science and energy laboratory and is managed
by a partnership of the University of Tennessee and Battelle.
www.ornl.gov
