SCARLET

Superconducting cables
for sustainable energy transition

Towards lossless energy transport thanks to superconductivity for industry and low-carbon mobility.

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Absolut System is taking part in the European SCARLET project (“Superconducting cables for sustainable energy transition”) with 14 partners in 7 countries. The aim is to design and industrially manufacture superconducting cables to enable more efficient and less costly energy transmission from renewable electricity production sites. Increasing quantities of renewable energy, combined with a rise in decentralized power generation, require significant modernization and expansion of European grids.

Thanks to its expertise in cryogenics, Absolut System provides the cooling system needed to bring cable temperatures down to very low levels.

Superconductivity is a phenomenon that occurs when specific materials are cooled to very low temperatures, enabling electricity to be transmitted without any resistive loss. The promise of superconducting cables lies in their high efficiency, compact size and reduced environmental impact. The SCARLET project will exploit these advantages by developing cables that transfer very high powers in very small conductors. The aim is to bring the technology to the final qualification stage before commercialization.

 

SCARLET has been awarded funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program for a period of four and a half years.

 

“We are very pleased that the European Commission recognizes the potential of using superconducting cables in the future power grid. This is an opportunity and now our responsibility to bring this new power cable technology to commercial performance levels. Ultimately, we will enable the supply of renewable energy to Europe at a much lower cost than is possible today.”, says project coordinator Niklas Magnusson of SINTEF Energy Research in Norway.

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Ambitious research objectives

Ambitious research objectives

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On September 28 and 29, the partners gathered at Research Institute For Sustainability in Potsdam for the project kick-off meeting.

Throughout this first meeting, the participants planned the project’s tasks and developments in detail. They examined the full range of effects of superconducting cables, as their properties pave the way for cost savings beyond the cables themselves. For example, the high current-carrying capacity of the cables means that voltage levels can be reduced, leading to smaller and much less expensive equipment in offshore wind farms. Another novelty to be developed is the transport of electricity and hydrogen in the same pipeline.

These ambitious goals call for intensive research over the coming years on the part of industrial partners Absolut System, ASG Superconductors, Nexans, RINA Consulting, SuperGrid Institute, SuperNode and Vision Electric Super Conductors, as well as research institutes and universities ESPCI, RIFS Potsdam, RSE, SINTEF, IEE Slovak Academy of Sciences, University of Bologna and WavEC.

Ambitious research
objectives

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On September 28 and 29 2022, the partners gathered at Research Institute For Sustainability in Potsdam for the project kick-off meeting.

Throughout this first meeting, the participants planned the project’s tasks and developments in detail. They examined the full range of effects of superconducting cables, as their properties pave the way for cost savings beyond the cables themselves. For example, the high current-carrying capacity of the cables means that voltage levels can be reduced, leading to smaller and much less expensive equipment in offshore wind farms. Another novelty to be developed is the transport of electricity and hydrogen in the same pipeline.

 

These ambitious goals call for intensive research over the coming years on the part of industrial partners Absolut System, ASG Superconductors, Nexans, RINA Consulting, SuperGrid Institute, SuperNode and Vision Electric Super Conductors, as well as research institutes and universities ESPCI, RIFS Potsdam, RSE, SINTEF, IEE Slovak Academy of Sciences, University of Bologna and WavEC.

Towards an international standard

Towards an international standard

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The SCARLET project builds on previous work by RIFS Potsdam and its European partners on high-power superconducting links,” explains RIFS Potsdam researcher Adela Marian:

“The focus will be on standardization activities, ensuring that the testing experience gained from the project will be used to establish an international standard for high-power superconducting cables.”

The recommendations will be forwarded to the IEC, the international organization that draws up and publishes standards for all electrical technologies.

Beyond this project, Absolut System offers cryogenic solutions for the energy transition and the decarbonization of energies, notably through research projects on nuclear fusion and liquid hydrogen.

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To find out more about the SCARLET – Superconducting cables for sustainable energy transition – project and its progress, visit the project website.

SCARLET Project

To find out more about the SCARLET – Superconducting cables for sustainable energy transition – project and its progress, visit the project website.

SCARLET Project

Absolut System celebrates its 14th anniversary!