Sumitomo develops superconductive cables to boost green energy transmission - report

(ADPnews) - Sep 27, 2010 - Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp (TYO:8053) is developing a superconductive cable that should be able to raise renewable energy transmission by as much as 50% and expects to introduce it to the market within a year.

The transmission capacity of the cables, when cooled with nitrogen, is 200 times higher than that of copper cables, news agency Bloomberg writes, citing Kenichi Sato, chief engineer at Sumitomo. Nitrogen cooling brings additional advantages because liquid nitrogen is cheaper than mineral water, which is the current means of cooling cables.

The cables, made from bismuth, have zero electrical resistance and will be used mainly to boost power transmission efficiency and distribution infrastructure for wind and hydroelectric projects. A further announcement on the new product is to come out in November, Sato said.

As wind and solar farms are generally situated in remote locations that require long-distance transmission, the enhanced efficiency of transmission cables is a major factor for the economic viability of many green energy developments in the longer term. Conventional transmission cables lead to high levels of energy loss, when used over long distances.

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