By Greentech Lead America: AMSC, a global solutions
provider serving wind and grid leaders, has acquired exclusive rights to a
fundamental high temperature superconductor (HTS) patent in the U.S. The patent
covers a broad range of second generation (2G) and similar HTS materials, wire
and power-related applications.
HTS materials and wire can reduce cost of megawatt-scale
electrical equipment, such as power cables, motors and generators. 2G wire
requires less precious metal in its manufacturing, thus it is expected to be
significantly less expensive to produce than first generation HTS wire when in
high-volume production.
“Since their discovery more than 25 years ago, HTS
materials have been heralded for their promise to transform the generation,
transmission and distribution of electrical power,” said Daniel P. McGahn,
president and CEO, AMSC.
Over the course of the past two decades, HTS wire has
been utilized to develop and deploy a variety of megawatt-scale systems,
including smart power cables, fault current limiters, wind turbine generators
and electric motors.
“Along with our partners worldwide, we at AMSC have
begun to deliver on that promise with industry-leading capacity, production and
order rates. Underlying our market position is an unparalleled intellectual
property portfolio. This new license further strengthens this position and our
ability to serve the U.S. market’s 2G needs for years to come,” McGahn
added.