R&D project on superconductor power application technologies Original Research Article

The R&D project on superconductor power application technologies (FY1988–1999), one of the projects in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)/Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) New Sunshine (NSS) Program, is reviewed. The purposes of the project are to develop the technologies necessary for the superconductor applications in electric power systems and, especially for superconducting generators (SCGs) which have distinguished merits, to provide all technologies necessary for their commercialization. With the steady R&D efforts of Engineering Research Association for Superconductive Generation Equipment and Materials (Super-GM), the technologies to design and construct the Pilot SCG of 200 MW class had been established, finally through the verification tests of the model machines of 70 MW class.