American Superconductor meets DOE goal for HTS wires ahead of schedule

Responding to a challenge made by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to produce 10-m coated conductor wires with a minimum electrical performance of 50A per centimeter of width of the wires, American Superconductor recently announced it was significantly ahead of the DOE’s goal of December 2003. The company has produced high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wires that more than double the electrical performance of the DOE’s target.

The results of American Superconductor’s trials on the wire, which rate the wire at 100A per centimeter, have been duplicated by the DOE at its Oak Ridge National Lab.