Electric power grid application requirements for superconductors
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oduction Cuprates, fullerenes, MgB2, pnictides . . . In recent decades, arguably no field has exploded with more exciting new materials discoveries than superconductivity, driven by humankind’s thirst for knowledge (and fame) and also by the promise of revolutionary applications benefiting humanity. To the extent that the potential applications are already recognized, awareness of their requirements is essential for focusing research and development efforts. A high superconductor critical temperature Tc is certainly one of these requirements, and the search for room-temperature superconductors has become a Holy Grail of materials research. Yet, by itself, higher Tc does not ensure successful application of a superconductor material. Indeed, NbTi, the most widely used superconductor today, has a Tc of only 9 K, while YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO), the most widely used high-temperature superconductor (HTS) to date,1 has a Tc of only 90 K, compared to 135 K for an as-yet unused (and likely never to be used because of toxicity and poor current density) mercury cuprate.2 A host of other requirements, including high critical current in a magnetic field, chemical stability and environmental inertness, mechanical properties, electrical and thermal stability, low ac loss, and—often most difficult of all—competitively low cost, are all necessary for economic success and broad impact.
Here, we review these requirements in the context of electric power grid applications,3,4 where the opportunity for impact is huge in a world with burgeoning energy demands. Because of electricity’s exceptional flexibility and efficiency, global electric energy use is growing inexorably, both in absolute magnitude and as a fraction of total energy use. This growth creates enormous challenges for global electric power grids: They need much higher capacity, particularly within the engines of this growth—the urban megalopolises proliferating around the world. In such urban centers, flexibility to introduce new power links is drastically limited by unacceptability of overhead power lines and by existing dense underground infrastructure. A second challenge to the grid arises from environmental issues, from waste heat and the growing threat of climate change. Addressing these issues will demand major efficiency improvements and development of sustainable energy resources, along with means to transmit huge amounts of power long distances from remote renewable generation sites with minimal energy loss. Grid stability is a third challenge, particularly from growing fault currents in urban environments. Fault currents are the large currents that flow in response to shorts in the grid, and they are increasing dangerously as ever more power sources are added to meet demand.
A.P. Malozemoff, American Superconductor Corp., Devens, MA 01434-4020, USA; [email protected] DOI: 10.1557/mrs.2011.160
© 2011 Materials Research Society
MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 36 • AUGUST 2011 • www.mrs.org/bulletin
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ELECTRIC POWER GRID APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPERCONDUCTORS
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