High temperature superconducting power cables

The discovery of high temperature superconductivity has re-awakened interest in the transmission of energy using force cryocooled superconducting cables as a method of reducing the cost of electric power transmission. The area of impact for the new superconductors is in the supertension area of high power underground cables. Within defined operating parameters, superconducting cables offer an economic alternative to conventional underground cables in certain circumstances and in some cases offer unique solutions to systems planners. One major impact could be in future environmental demands and the energy savings possible with appropriate designs of cable are attractive.