Boffins researching nano-optics have come up with a method of distributing lecky ten times more efficiently.
The boffins, from Nano-Optonics Energy and Chubu University's Superconductivity and Sustainable Energy Centre have been working as part of Nano-Optics Energy's Superconducting DC Power Transmission Project.
The big idea is coming up with a superconducting DC power reduces transmission loss, it could significantly reduce the amount of electricity that needs to be generated, if it could be used to replace normal AC power.
The transmission loss of superconducting DC (alternating current) power transmission is ten times less than that of superconducting AC power transmission, and thirty times less than the transmission loss of ordinary AC power transmission.
It means that less electricity would be needed to power the world and would mean that alternative electricity generation methods such as solar and wind power which generate direct current would get a leg up.
While the system that the boffins came up did not explode or turn anyone into a bowl of geraniums, it was heavy on the expensive hardware.
It used a liquid nitrogen circulation system, an adiabatic double tube, and a newly developed type of superconducting cable.
Other new technologies developed by the researchers included a new method of thermally insulating the ends of the cable. This method, called the Peltier Current Lead. This cuts heat transfer between the liquid nitrogen cooling system and the ambient temperature section.
Dear so-called "scientists", instead of wasting our money on "confirming" what any idiot knows, how about coming up with something actually useful?
But there is this catch, the temperature has to be near the absolute zero. With years of development, all scientists could came with is some exotic material ceramics that would be superconductive at liquid nitrogen temperatures.
While it's a big step, liquid nitrogen is still very cold and expensive.
So I see no groundbreaking findings in this research. Even then, all home appliances in the world are AC. If we were to use DC, we would need to throw away everything to buy DC appliances or use pretty wasteful big power inverters. Not practical.
It seems they use vacuum to insulate the cable. That'd make the line kind of fragile too as any micro fracture would break the vacuum.