Summary
As noted in this template article, several companies and universities have been award grants through the Recovery Act, also known as the U.S. Stimulus package, for smart grid projects, including over $12 million in funding for American Superconductor (ASMC).
Analysis
In an effort to inform the U.S. Congress, energy stakeholders, and the general public about smart grid efforts, the Department of Energy (DOE) released the first Smart Grid System Report in July, which covers the status of smart grid developments nationwide and any regulatory or government barriers that would impede growth. The report declared that while many smart grid capabilities are just beginning to evolve, the adoption of various technologies such as smart metering, automated substation controls, and distributed generation is growing at a rapid pace. The full Smart Grid System Report is available at this site for reference.
Several companies and universities have been award grants through the Recovery Act, also known as the U.S. Stimulus package, for smart grid projects, and the entire list is now available. One of the recipients was American Superconductor Corporation (ASMC), which is a global energy technologies company, who received more than $12 million in funding to complete several ongoing superconductor smart grid initiatives.
AMSC will be utilizing $4.8 million, in addition to $3.2 million of past support, to develop a three-phase 138 kilovolt (kV) fault current limiter (FCL) using the company’s “344 superconductors," based on a complex compound of yttrium-barium-copper-oxide. This FCL will feature a proprietary Siemens-developed, low-inductance coil technology, which should enable a smooth integration to a grid system. AMSC is serving as the project manager and wire supplier; however, the team also includes Southern California Edison, Siemens AG, Nexans, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
In general, superconductivity is a phenomenon that is observed in certain materials at very low temperatures, well below room temperature, where no electrical resistance occurs. Superconductor wires or cables, which are the product of many years of materials science research, enable self-protecting attributes for associated power networks by adjusting automatically to disruptions in equipment due to weather, willful destruction, or other factors. Superconductor cables can be placed strategically underground in the transmission grid to draw current flow from overtaxed conventional cables or overhead lines, relieving network congestion. Ultra-low resistance, better know as ultra-low impedance cables, will help solve grid congestion problems and enable implementation of new grid configurations. High-capacity, low impedance superconductor cables offer significant benefits over conventional overhead transmission lines and copper cables. By replacing copper wire with high-temperature superconductor wire (HTS) in power cables, 10 times the amount of power transmission can be produced; thus, making them an ideal solution for network upgrades and urban retrofit projects.
Therefore, stimulus funding for the conversion to superconductor technology in building state smart grids or a nationwide smart grid should definitely lead to Green job creation and economic growth, analogous to the development of the U.S. interstate road system. It is also an opportunity for the superconductor industry to finally expand in lieu of a large-scale commercial application, as the community continues to struggle in achieving any sign of viable room-temperature commercial integration that would transform mainstream electric power usage for all applications.
In addition, AMSC is receiving $7.6 million in additional funding for the second phase of its superconductor power cable project with Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). This will be a transmission line (138kV) extension of the superconductor cable system that was commissioned in LIPA’s grid in April 2008. The extension also utilizes AMSC’s second generation high temperature or 344 superconductor wire. AMSC is also serving as the project manager and wire supplier as for the other stimulus-funded project, while Nexans is the cable manufacturer and Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC is providing the cryogenics cooling system for the superconductor components. Collectively, the DOE is providing more than $12 million for this project.
Interestingly enough, the Long Island Power Authority will be the first utility in the world to commission a HTS power transmission cable system, allowing them to expand the existing transmission line demonstration project to connect between two major substations on Long Island in New York state.
As mentioned in a prior article, no allocations for smart grid stimulus funding in Arizona have been announced as of yet; however, Science Foundation Arizona is funding smart grid development efforts, as published previously. In related news, Arizona and several other states are in the process of allocating money for various projects associated with energy efficiency and conservation.
Moreover, Elster, a leader in smart metering and smart grid system solutions, has been awarded a contract from Arizona Public Service (APS) for the deployment of 800,000 smart meters for residential, commercial, and industrial consumers. This technology is being deployed so that customers can reduce their energy costs and has already assisted APS operate more efficiently by reducing the number of miles driven by APS personnel, thereby lessening their carbon footprint. The APS smart metering program will use a broad range of Elster technologies including its market leading EnergyAxis® System to assist its consumers monitor electrical usage in real-time, and enable APS to identify and respond to service interruptions more rapidly while improving efficiencies in APS meter reading, billing, and customer service operations. The overall benefits of smart grid technology, current stimulus funding plans, and its role in expanding clean energy sources were discussed in prior articles.
This author consults with leading institutions through GLG
Analyses are solely the work of the authors and have not been edited or endorsed by GLG.
