Zach Winn of MIT News reports on a startup that is building superconducting transmission lines.
- With an estimated 10,000 renewable projects seeking grid connection in the U.S. alone, building new transmission capacity is essential.
- VEIR, a startup launched by MIT alumni Tim Heidel, believes that it has the answer with its superconducting cables that are designed to carry 5-10 times the amount of power of conventional transmission lines with the same footprint and voltage level.
- The system’s innovative cooling technology also allows the company to build capacity without triggering onerous permitting requirements, according to VEIR.
- VEIR is building its first large-scale pilot project in Woburn, Massachusetts, and expects to bring it online in 2026.
“The lines are designed to transport five to 10 times the amount of power of conventional transmission lines, using essentially the same footprint and voltage level. That will be key to helping them overcome the regulatory hurdles and community opposition that has made increasing transmission capacity nearly impossible across large swaths of the globe, particularly in America and Europe, where new power distribution systems play a vital role in the shift to renewable energy and the resilience of the grid.”
Read the full article here.
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