wiredinUSA March 2013

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German power project employs superconductor

wiredIn USA

American Corp (AMSC) is to supply high temperature superconductor wire for a German project to distribute electricity in major cities. The Essen-based project, called AmpaCity, involves Nexans, the RWE Group, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The partners aim to install what will be the longest superconductor cable in the world. At present, electricity is distributed through cities by networks of transformer stations. Replacing the old technology with AmpaCity would “lead to greater efficiency as well as lower operating and maintenance costs while simultaneously reducing land use,” a Nexans statement explained, adding that dismantling the many transformer stations now needed to distribute power would Superconductor

help free up valuable space in inner city areas.

AMSC said that plans for AmpaCity call for using its high temperature superconductor, or HTS, wire tobeused in what is called a superconductor fault current limiter, or SFCL. An SFCL is a surge protector to ensure smooth operation when AmpaCity is connected to the power grid. “Aselectricitydemandandgeneration are steadily growing, and power grids are becoming more interconnected, the magnitude of fault currents on power grids is increasing significantly,” AMSC said in a press release. “By lowering the fault current levels, SFCLs enable utilities to defer or eliminate equipment replacement, increase equipment life, and enhance system operation.”

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wiredInUSA - March 2013

wiredInUSA - March 2013

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