March 21, 2008
Electricity reliability may not be top-of-mind with consumers but it is with technology wonks. Albany, N.Y. is now testing the use of the latest iteration of grid technologies that can carry 10 times the electrons of conventional copper wires.
The so-called high-temperature superconducting cable must actually be super-cooled. That will virtually eliminate the resistance to electricity flow, thereby greatly increasing the efficiency of the wire. The second-generation technology is one solution to the challenging task of providing sufficient electric power to densely populated areas. Burying cable and acquiring rights-of-way is prohibitively expensive, often representing three-quarters the cost of such projects. With their greater capacity, however, superconducting cables hold lots of promise.
"High-temperature superconductivity has repeatedly demonstrated that it has the potential to play a pivotal role in modernizing our electric infrastructure and ensuring the stable and affordable delivery of electricity to our homes, businesses, and industry," says Kevin Kolevar, director of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability for the U.S. Department of Energy. "As the nation's demand for electricity continues to grow, so too do the pressures on our electric utilities to continue to provide the reliable electric service that is so important to our economy and way of life."
Part of the Energy Department's role is to provide funds for research and development into promising new technologies, all to plant the seeds for the time they might become commercially available. The agency justifies its foray into superconducting cables, noting that more than 7 percent of the electricity transported across the wires is lost because of resistance in current copper technologies. At a time when the nation is concerned about fuel supplies and air quality, it is a good investment and would ultimately result in $16 billion a year in savings, it says.
Superconductivity power equipment is not only half the size but it is also far more resourceful than conventional copper technologies. The Energy Department says that about 2,200 miles of existing underground cables are quickly becoming outdated and could be replaced with high-temperature superconductive lines that are less invasive.
Besides the National Grid project in Albany, the agency also has partnerships with American Electric Power in Columbus, Ohio and the Long Island Power Authority in New York. Meantime, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is working with Consolidated Edison to install those cables in Lower Manhattan.
In the case of Albany, a 350-meter modern cable will run between two substations. The project will cost about $27 million, of which the Energy Department will pick up half. It actually got its start in 2001 with a $6 million grant from a New York State energy agency, with some initial installation back in 2006.
"National Grid has been pleased with the performance of the high-temperature superconducting cable during Phase 1 of this program," says William Flaherty, regional executive director of National Grid. "We are happy to have it back online now .The project has demonstrated that high-temperature superconducting cable works as expected, is reliable, and has posed no problems to National Grid's system."
High Cost
To be sure, the cost must still drop considerably for the technology to become widespread. But the good news is that increasing investment into the field is spawning newer prototypes. Once the technology reaches a critical mass, commercialization will start to occur and the price tag will come down.
Intensified research efforts are largely the result of increased attention to the reliability of the nation's transmission grid. Efforts are also underway, for example, to develop cheaper wire that does not contain silver, called a coated conductor. But such wires have a long way to go before they would be practical. Altogether, the Energy Department has allocated $57 million for research and development for such projects while industry has agreed to put up $60 million.
The agency is now partnering with AEP in a two-year, $9 million project that is testing second-generation superconducting cable. It runs 200 meters and delivers 50 megawatts of power to 8,600 industrial, commercial and residential customers. It is also joining forces with the Long Island Power Authority by allocating $15 million of the $30 million cost of a project there. It is a 138 kilovolt cable system that is nearly a half mile in length. It is the first high-temperature superconductor cable at a transmission site. Other such wires have been used at distribution sites, which are characterized as lines that are 60 kilovolts or less.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, says that part of its role is to ensure the electricity keeps flowing in major commerce centers. To that end, it is funding $25 million of the $39 million price tag for such technology in New York's financial district. Con Edison will install the first 50 meters of a 300 meter project by year-end. If all goes well, the full project is expected to be complete in 2010.
"The U.S. power grid is one of our most valuable assets, and we are taking the steps necessary -- through the use of our most advanced technologies -- to ensure its safety," says Jay Cohen, under secretary for science and technology with Homeland Security. "As we saw with the August 2003 blackout and in incidents since, disruptions to the power grid have far-reaching effects and a tremendous economic impact."
High-temperature superconducting cables can increase national and economic security by modernizing the grid. And while the technology is now expensive, government agencies are pitching in and trying to get those next generation wires into the mainstream. In time, it will succeed. The demand for power will not abate and will therefore necessitate the deployment of cutting-edge tools to enhance grid security.
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