AMSC's Secure Super Grids™ Technology for Transmission Grids

AMSC and Con Edison have teamed with the Department of Homeland Security to protect New York City's power grid with surge suppressing superconductor cable technology. This new development was announced on May 21, 2007 and is a joint effort to develop and deploy a new system-level solution that utilizes high temperature superconductor (HTS) power cable technology in Con Edison’s grid in New York City.

Code named "Project HYDRA,” this new technology is capable of carrying very large amounts of power while also being able to automatically suppress power surges. The Department of Homeland Security will invest in the development and demonstration of this technology to enable "Secure Super Grids" in the United States.

AMSC will produce the HTS wire, known as 344 superconductors, for the project and will subcontract cable manufacturing to Southwire. Commissioning of the cable is expected in early 2010.
The following animations demonstrate how Secure Super Grid systems can protect the electrical grid. (Requires Quicktime or Windows Media Player to view.)

	To view the complete animation series, please click one of the icons on the left
	Close-up of a Superconductor Power Cable The circuits in our Alternating Current (AC) power grid are comprised of three cables, today made from copper wire. The HTS Triax™ cable architecture created by Southwire utilizes HTS wires known as 344 superconductors to place all three cables of a circuit in one cable. Because of the ability of HTS wire to carry more than 150 times the electrical current of copper wires of the same size, this three-in-one “tri-axial” cable architecture can transmit many times more power than copper cables of the same diameter.

	The Compelling Benefit of Superconductor Cables Power cables under the streets of our cities today are made from copper wires. Typically these cables are contained within conduits or tunnels but need to be spread out due to the heat created by electrical resistance, consuming a substantial amount of underground "real estate" that could be used for power, gas, water, sewer and telecommunications networks. The end of the animation shows the comparable real estate needed to introduce superconductor cables vs. the area needed to carry the equivalent electricity through copper cables.

	Today’s Grids are at Risk In this graphic, a highly simplified picture of the current power grid in is shown with electricity flowing from power plants through power transmission copper cables (red color) to Area Substations. Electricity then flows at a lower distribution voltage through copper cables to Distribution Networks in various locations. Power grids face many different risks, some of which can cause widespread blackouts. Two such risks are depicted in this clip. An event such as a lightning strike or a transformer failure during a heat wave could lead to the blackout of an entire Distribution Network. The power grids currently in place also are vulnerable to power surges, known in the industry as “fault currents,” which are caused by short circuits that result from events such as lightning strikes, accidents or willful destruction. Fault currents can cause millions of dollars in damage to electrical equipment in electrical substations and can also cause widespread power outages..