The aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of cost-competitive SMES based on MgB2 with a cryogen free cooling system. All engineering aspects needed for the practical development of the SMES technology will be dealt with within the project, including manufacturability of MgB2 cable and winding, stability and loss of the winding during the fast charge and discharge, electrical insulation of the dry coil, temperature uniformity, minimization of cooling losses and converter losses during standby.
Furthermore, all aspects related to the development of power and control electronics needed for the appropriate operation of the SMES in the power network will also be dealt with. Care will be devoted to the development of high efficiency solutions for the power converters. All activities will converge in the manufacturing and the testing of a demonstrator with an objective rating of 500 kJ/200 kW.
This rating is deemed suitable for disclosing the critical technological aspects of all components in view of practical applications. The demonstrator will be tested in the low voltage microgrid integrating different generators, storage systems and loads that is available at one of the partner’s site (RSE, Milan). A further goal of the project is the assessment of the technical and economical benefits that the SMES can bring to real world electric grids.
