ARPA-E Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) for Grid-scale rampable intermittent dispatchable storage (21 pages) The ARPA-E project runs until 2013. Superpower inc is trying to prove that they can get the component performance needed for scaling superconducting magnetic energy storage to scale to the gigawatt level.
Being able to discharge and store power every second is needed because wind turbine power varies by the second.
Technology Advances (Revised, ARPA-E)
* Ultra-high field (25 Tesla) prototype magnet (20 kW, 3.2 MJ)
* 2G HTS wire with critical current over 600 A
* Modular, scalable converter concept for direct connection to medium voltage grid with high round trip efficiency (over 85%)
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on ycombinator or StumbleUpon. Thanks
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.