Ways for power applications of high temperature superconductors to go into the real world

Owing to recent progress in high temperature superconductor (HTS) technology, Bi2223/Ag-sheathed tapes are produced on mass production scales and a 100 m long YBCO sample with a significant value of the transport critical current has been developed. Research into and development of various HTS power apparatus are ongoing in many countries. The technical feasibility of the HTS apparatus is currently being demonstrated and now the economic feasibility needs to be demonstrated. In the paper, costs of HTS conductors are projected and the cost targets to be met by HTS apparatus if they are to be competitive as regards cost with conventional or alternative apparatus are estimated. On the basis of these studies, ways for the HTS power apparatus to go into the real world are described.