A High-Power Superconducting DC Cable

The long-range future of large electric power systems depends on achieving secure and reliable transmission of electric power at the gigawatt level. Also, changes in the production and use of electricity vis-a-vis the drive to ldquogreenrdquo power sources have heightened the importance of improving the efficiency of electric power transmission. With these thoughts in mind, a small group supported by EPRI began assessing the possible function and form of a high-temperature superconductor-based DC cable of the future. The goal of the effort is to produce a conceptual design with sufficient engineering content that it could be built with present-day engineering capabilities. The only recognition of potential advancements in the concept is the anticipated performance of superconductors some 15 to 20 years hence. This presentation discusses results of the effort to date and describes much of the cable and infrastructure design necessary to install and operate a multi-gigawatt superconducting DC cable.