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Don't want to RTFA? That's fine, this is /. after all. Here's a summary of the main points to get you started:

• "Project Hydra" is named after the mythical Greek monster that grew back multiple heads when one was severed. The grid is expected to be able to self-regulate power surges and maintain supply under extreme conditions.
• The system's reliability comes from the large number of interconnections that will be made to the power grid under NYC. This is also the driving force behind the need to use HTS materials because the electrical resistance of copper is too high for it to be used.
• The superconductor cable is expected to cost nearly $40 million, funded in part by the US Dept of Homeland Security.
• The cable is expected to be commissioned for operation in early 2010.
• This link is the best place to start if you want to find out more about Team Hydra.
• I, for one, welcome our new multi-headed superconducting subterrainian overlords!

-P

Don't forget the inefficiencies of power transmission via transformers and the power lines, etc

Except that there are commercial superconducting cables on the market.

Sure, they're not widely deployed (yet) - but the technology exists and can only fall in price as popularity increases and the technology is improved.

And in spite of the lovely description, it appears that somebody is interested in Boat HST generators

According to that site http://www.amsuper.com/products/htsWire/ it is likely to be under 100K, and most info being given at 77K, sounds like liquid nitrogen cooling.

http://www.amsuper.com/products/htsWire/ Here is a link that has some good specs on the wire they use.

I live in the Arizona desert, and the bright sunlight is BRIGHT (I've built solar ovens that bursted into flames in seconds). I would love to see this energy be put to use, lord knows there's enough of it.

I could imagine huge solar arrays in the middle of nowhere (which is easy to come by in this state) coupled to superconducting magnetic storage coils (made by American Superconductor) to handle the few days that aren't so bright.

*sigh* Sadly, the government in Arizona is more concerned with trying to make the perfect standardized test for high schoolers. Too bad...the power received here could juice up a good portion of the West.

These engineers think superconductivity will generate money for their pocket book: American Superconductor Corp

In fact, they're laying 600m of it in New York: Superconductor lines could boost U.S. power grids

For more coincidence, check out American Superconductor, which just recently had its stock soar with the news that its second-generation high-temp superconductor wire outperformed the predicted estimates. Nice timing for both companies, in the very least.

superconductor power

In your post, you seem to be referering to the notion of replacing conventional power lines with superconductors, and quite rightly note that ceramics make poor wires.

Wires aren't the only use for superconductors, though. They can also be used as to store electricity, by inducing a current in a coil which then keeps "looping" forever, until the electricity is used. Even without room temperature superconductors, one company, American Superconductors, sells a product based on this principle that helps regulate spikes and surges in power grids. You can read one of their press releases here, if you like.

If a room temperature superconductor were in fact to be discovered, (and we haven't yet had verification that it has been), it might well be a very big deal. If we can store a lot of energy in a single loop, and we can make a lot of loops in a small amount of space (which may or may not be viable -- time will tell), then suddenly technologies which aren't viable today because of batteries become a lot more viable.

I, for one, would love an electric car. It's cold and snowy in the winter where I live, and I'd like to own a car that I know won't stall when it's cold out, like ones based on batteries do. I'd love the whisper quiet engine, and the immediate response to my commands, without waiting for the engine to "rev up".

Right now, the existing electrical cars aren't bad, but they don't travel far enough on a single electrical charge: energy density is the problem. If room temperature superconductors provide a viable alternative, then I, for one, would welcome the invention, even if we never use it directly in power lines from the power grid.

And yes, wind power is a good idea. So is geothermal energy (check out what Iceland is doing with that), and lots of other renewable energy alternatives. However, one problem with all these solutions is that a great deal of energy is wasted because we just don't have very good ways to store it: if room temperature superconductors offer superior storage solutions, then it's a benefit for everyone, no matter what your prefered method of power generation.

--
Ytrew

18 K is hardly a "low-temperature" superconductor. That temperature is around where helium finally becomes a liquid, which was where superconductor research was at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. Nowadays, we have things like HTS material (bismuth-based, copper oxide ceramic) which will superconduct up to temperatures of 108 K! A far cry from 18 K.

For those metric impaired people in the audience, 108 K (aka -165 C) is -265 F. 18 K (aka -255 C) is - 427 F. HST composites only need liqud nitrogen (which costs the same as milk), rather then liquid helium (which is very, very, very expensive) to work.

The first link is slide from a Brookhaven talk. Not much useful info here, and the picture doesn't match what the other links describe. The entire slide show is fairly interesting, though.

The second link is PDF whitepaper discussing the commercial production of such cable. A great read, if you have the time to wade through it.

The third link is an article from the Nov. 18, 2000, issue of "Science News" on the same subject as the Knight-Ridder article. Much more technical details.

For a commercial vendor, try American Superconductor. Their web page is at http://www.amsuper.com . They sell many devices based on superconductors, and some raw materials as well (under "Products & Solutions", "Electric Power Applications").