The HTS opportunity for New Zealand

High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) technology has now matured to the point that long lengths (100s of meters) of wire are readily available. The wire needs to be cooled to at least the temperature of liquid nitrogen (about minus 200 degrees Celsius) to conduct electricity without resistance. The refrigeration technology required to achieve this temperature range is available, although a major effort is currently going into improving its performance and lowering the cost.

Because of low resistance and high current carrying capacity, high temperature superconductors have the potential to replace copper in some power transmission applications, and in a wide variety of applications that use high magnetic fields (e.g. larger electromagnets, transformers, generators, electric motors).  This will happen over the next ten years as the price of HTS falls to be competitive with copper.

Currently the technology is being demonstrated in prototypes around the world including New Zealand.  This report examines HTS developments in New Zealand and discusses the international opportunities HTS offers New Zealand manufacturers.

For more information about HTS and other niche industries see the sector page. 

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• Table of contents 

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>> The HTS opportunity for New Zealand (PDF, 363KB)

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Table of Contents

Cover (PDF, 125KB)

Contents (PDF, 29KB)

Overview (PDF, 56KB)

What are High Temperature Superconductors? (PDF, 82KB)

Where the opportunities lie (PDF, 34KB)

Technologies linked to HTS devices (PDF, 141KB)

• Tapes and coils
• Cooling systems
• Current leads
• Power supply management
• Instrumentation and control
• Magnetic circuits
• Technologies linked to HTS devices

Early applications for HTS subcomponents (PDF, 67KB)

• Magnet based systems
• Power systems
• Motors and generators

Next steps (PDF, 43KB)

Glossary and abbreviations (PDF, 34KB)