Superconductors in power generation – the challenges and opportunities of the past and of the future

Superconductors in power generation have already been studied, with LTS as the material of choice some decades ago. The complex cooling requirements triggered developments in niche applications with increased performance.
With the availability of 1G-HTS (Bi-2223 tapes), the potential field of applications widened considerably (not only turbo generators but also hydro generators and transformers) while posing new requirements (e.g., cabling for high currents, twisting for low ac loss).
Today's 2G-HTS (RE-123 tapes) offer new opportunities due to their high-current-carrying capability. However, the specific layered tape architecture introduces new challenges and may not be well-suited to a limited set of applications. However, the field of application for rotating machines has been extended.
In this work, we describe the continuity and evolution of requirements and opportunities of superconductors in power generation with a detailed description of the specific aspects on 2G-HTS, today.
This work is funded by the Program Oriented Funding of the German Ministry of Research, Program MTET, High-Temperature Superconductivity, 38.05.03.