[NormsRevenge]

Cool. The technology too.

[HiTech RedNeck]

A certain amount of power is needed to keep these lines cold. For that reason I would think that small and variable amounts of power, as from wind farms, are not suited to this technology. It is better for large, reliable sources such as nukes.

[randog]

Complicating something makes it more prone to failure. Nikola Tesla got it right the first time, IMO.

[InterceptPoint]

Superconducting cables have ZERO resistance. That’s the good part. The bad part is that they have to be kept a few hundred degrees F below zero to be superconducting and that takes energy. It’s not cost effective if the power to cool the lines per foot exceeds the IR losses per foot using standard technology. How you do that with high voltage lines (up in the wind???) is a mystery to me. Also - why would you use high voltage (and low current) when the IR losses are ZERO? Why not low voltage and high current?

[Sequoyah101]

If this were good and had a positive cost:benefit ratio it would be done and not languisihing for two decades.

It is expensive, requires power and is unreliable. The concept is sound but unworkable. No business designs to not make more profit and if this concept were workable and profitable it would be done.

I wonder what the “good” congresscreep was promised or paid to push this agenda. Sounds just like the stupidity of GPS tracking cars to tax the miles instead of or in addition tot he gasoline ...just another payoff of a crooked politician.

[Edward Watson]

Nice!

[willgolfforfood]

A few miles of superconducting cable were installed in Long Island, then north to Connecticut, or perhaps Rhode Island. Back about 5 or 6 years ago. The cost per mile was ludicrous, but it made economic sense for a couple of reasons:

1. Building large transmission cable towers across that waterway for conventional large scale power distrubtion created all kinds of problems for air and especially sea navigation.

2. Weather in the area created numerous opportunities for knocking this transmission line off-line, especially in the winter and spring.

Most places don't have these types of issues, and can't begin to justify the same cost per mile. Of course, with all the subsidies offered by Congress for windmill power, what's a few more subsidy dollars for super-cooled cable?

See these articles for more information. The second link describes the Long Island installation mentioned above.

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2006/07/cryogenic_super.html

http://www.amsc.com/products/htswire/LIPAHTSCableProjectBrief.html

[Mark was here]

A cost savings should cost less.

[Erasmus]

Moving Electricity via Super-Cold Cables Wins Influential D.C. Ally

You mean they're going to use DC? ≤]B^)

Actually, they could.