An MgB2 HVDC Superconducting Cable for Power Transmission with a Reduced Carbon Footprint

The advantages of superconductivity have been acknowledged by the European Commission with its funding of Best Paths, a collaborative project on energy transmission that includes a superconducting power transmission line as one of its five constituent demonstrators. In addition to the design, development, optimisation, manufacturing and testing activities, special attention will be devoted to studying the integration of a superconducting link into the future transmission grid and to assessing the availability and economic viability of the system. Here an overview of the project is presented, including the main tasks and challenges ahead as well as preliminary results after the first year of activity.