The aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage) in the short/medium term at competitive cost based on Magnesium Diboride (MgB2).SMES technology offers complementary characteristics with respect to other storage technology: high charge and discharge power, fast response, high number of cycles, high round trip efficiency. Its introduction enables the feasibility of cost effective hybrid energy storage systems (Energy Intensive + Power Intensive), able to meet all the needs both the customer and at the grid level, so as to guarantee high power quality, in particular for network with high DG penetration (existing or planned). In some cases (e.g. sensitive and/or disconnectable customers, distorting and/or impulsive loads, stabilization of microgrids and/or vulnerable su
bnetworks) the SMES can act as an active filter (thus compensating flickers, harmonic, reactive power, current unbalance, load fluctuation) and can supply loads in island opeation condition compensating network disturbances as voltage dips and interruption.
The Magnesium Diboride (MgB2) is a relatively young superconductor (discovered in 2001) which can now be produced in long length at competitive costs. The critical temperature is much higher than that of traditional superconductors. This allows a cooling technology which does not use liquids (cryogen free) thus avoiding the related issues of supply, safety and cost.
A further goal of the project is the technical and economical assessment of the benefits that the SMES can bring to the real world network. This task will be accomplished by designing the real scale devices for some cases of practical interests and by evaluating the costs.
All engineering aspects needed of the practical development of SMES technology will be dealt with in the project, including manufacturability of cable and winding, stability of the winding during the fast charge and discharge, electrical insulation, temperature uniformity, minimization of cooling losses and converter losses during standby. Furthermore, all aspects related to the realization of power and control electronics needed for the appropriate operation of the SMES in the power network will also be dealt with.
All activities will converge in the manufacturing and testing of a demonstrator with 300 kJ/50 kW rating.
Though reduced this rating is significant for disclosing the critical technological aspects of all components at a significant level. For the development of the demonstrator appropriate methods of design and optimization will be carried out. For evaluating the performance of each component with reference to the required functionality bot the power and the control electronics will be tested in the laboratory. A real time simulator with control hardware in the loop interface will be used of testing the control. Finally the demonstrator will be tested in the test facility available at one of the partner’s site.
The total budget of the project is 2.712.769,58 €, being 1.461.404,07 € funded by the Ministry of Economic Development and splitting among the partners as follow:
