SC Power Systems Inc. (San Mateo, California, U.S.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Trithor GmbH (Rheinbach, Germany), has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive a US$11 million grant to design, test and install a high-voltage fault current limiter (FCL) in the Californian electricity grid.

SC Power will lead and coordinate a project team, the major participants of which include Trithor GmbH, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Delta Star Inc., Southern California Edison (SCE) and the Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. (Con Edison).

A high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) FCL acts as an instantaneously (automated) resetting fuse that protects electrical power grids from damaging power surges. The U.S. government considers HTS FLC to be an essential component of future self-healing, or self-regulating, “smart” electricity grids. Such smart grids are considered to be central to the modernization of the U.S. electricity grid and rely on the deployment of a range of HTS devices.

The grant is part of a $51.8 million investment in HTS research projects aimed at establishing a diverse and stable supply of reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy. The U.S. government views investing in HTS FCLs as an essential means of safeguarding energy efficiency and ensuring economic security.

A field test is expected to take place in the SCE grid, with Con Edison providing site-selection support, specifications development and electricity grid testing.

SC Power has already received a $500,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to install and test the existing medium-voltage FCL solution in California's electricity grid. This latest grant is for the subsequent installation and testing of a larger-scale device designed specifically for the protection of higher-voltage electrical grid equipment falling outside of the initial criteria of the existing device.