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New
Release -- Superconductor Week does not edit or endorse the following
news release: American
Superconductor Reports Increasing Demand for 344 Superconductors Used in Fault
Current Limiter Applications
Majority of 344 Superconductor Shipments are for Fault Current Limiters
Demand for Increased Power Grid Reliability Driving Accelerated Product
Development Efforts by AMSC and its Customers
Westborough, MA, November 16:
American Superconductor
Corporation (Nasdaq:AMSC),
a leading energy technologies company, announced today that a majority of the
second generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire – known as 344
superconductors – being shipped by AMSC in its current fiscal year ending March
31, 2007 is being used in the development of fault current limiters. Fault
current limiters act as high-voltage surge protectors for power grids to
increase grid reliability.
“Fault current levels are posing significant challenges in many utility grids
around the country and have the potential to cause widespread brownouts and
blackouts,” said Syed Ahmed, consulting engineer, transmission and distribution
business unit of Southern California Edison. “HTS fault current limiters are a
unique solution that will help address and accommodate projected load growth,
without endangering our grid operations.”
344 superconductors are smart materials because they possess unique physical
properties that allow them to conduct electricity with no resistance under
normal operating conditions, while also being able to recognize and then
instantaneously suppress large surges of electrical current by switching to the
resistive state. Suppressing spikes of electrical current is important because
it prevents damage to expensive electrical equipment in power grids.
“The race for market leadership in HTS fault current limiters is on. There has
been strong demand for fault current limiters among domestic and overseas
utilities, and, with our 344 superconductors now available, we are beginning to
capitalize on this significant business opportunity,” said Greg Yurek, chief
executive officer and founder, American Superconductor. “In addition to our own
fault current limiter product development effort with Siemens, at least seven
other electrical equipment developers in four countries are now utilizing 344
superconductors to develop fault current limiters. This is a vast new market
opportunity for HTS that the U.S. Department of Energy forecasts to be in the
billions of dollars.”
About Fault Current Limiters
When a short circuit occurs in an electrical transmission or distribution
system, an electrical generator feeding power into that system responds by
creating a surge of current throughout the grid. As additional capacity is
added, these surges can exceed the current rating of the circuit breakers that
are conventionally used to protect the valuable equipment located throughout the
grid. It is estimated that without adequate protection these power surges would
cost electric utilities hundreds of millions of dollars a year in equipment
damages. An FCL uses high temperature superconductors to instantaneously limit
electrical surges, or reduce them to levels that can be handled by existing
circuit breaker. Particularly in the high voltage transmission grid, there is no
alternative outside of rewiring the grid at enormous cost.
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