-
Client
SCADENT – Superconducting Applications for Dense Energy Transmission
-
Business need
To understand the barriers, opportunities and benefits of modernising existing electricity infrastructure by replacing conventional cables with High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) cables.
Overview
The SCADENT project is being developed under Ofgem’s SIF (Strategic Innovation Fund), with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) as lead partner. Frazer-Nash is managing the project on NGET’s behalf, and is providing technical and economic expertise along with project partners including cable manufacturers (Nexans, AMSC), Universities (Strathclyde, Manchester) and DNOs (UKPN, WPD, SPEN).
The use of High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) technology could help meet the anticipated increase in demand for electricity that will result from a shift towards electrification for heat and transport.
HTS cables are capable of delivering 3 to 5 times the power of conventional cables in the same space, or can be used to deliver the same power at a lower voltage. Both options deliver a reduced infrastructure footprint, which is important in space-constrained areas such as city centres, particularly as these are the locations where electricity demand will increase the most as we progress towards Net Zero.