Recent developments in HTS power cable applications

Practical investigations into superconducting power transmission applications have been initiated as a result of the discovery of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). These actions are presently following the parallel courses of materials and technology improvement and an increasingly detailed technical and economical analysis of superconducting power transmission applications within the system grid. Insofar as power cable applications are concerned, the most recent advances have been the manufacture of a machine-stranded, 50 m long, 3300 A HTS cable conductor and the detailed specification of several prototype HTS cable system installations. Many different HTS application options are being considered, each offering varied and distinct potential benefits to the electrical power industry. Some of these potential applications are already in development, while others are being systematically analyzed for compatibility with associated technical and economic evaluations.