Stock image of copper cable wire used to electrical installation on metal surface.
A new power transmission technology has emerged in Woburn, Massachusetts, promising to redefine energy distribution efficiency without compromising on visual impact.
VEIR, a startup co-founded by MIT alumni Tim Heidel, has developed a pioneering technology in power transmission. This innovation utilizes superconducting cables and an advanced cooling system to boost transmission capacity, surpassing conventional lines by five to ten times.
The development has come amidst pressing global demands to bolster transmission infrastructure for renewable energy integration and grid resilience.
The promise of enhanced power transmission
VEIR’s innovation relies on superconducting cables and an advanced cooling system. This allows their lines to start carrying up to 400 megawatts of power initially, with plans to handle even more in the future.
“We can deploy much higher power levels at much lower voltage, and so we can deploy the same high power but with a footprint and visual impact that is far less intrusive, and therefore can overcome a lot of the public opposition as well as siting and permitting barriers,” Heidel said.
This breakthrough is not just about increasing capacity but also about overcoming the regulatory and community opposition that has hinder many transmission projects in the past. Particularly in regions like America and Europe, where new power distribution systems are crucial for integrating renewable energy sources and enhancing grid resilience.
Addressing the challenges of grid expansion
The need for expanded transmission capacity is urgent. With over 10,000 renewable energy projects seeking grid connections in the US alone and ambitious decarbonization goals set for 2035, the demand for robust energy infrastructure has never been higher.
Heidel highlights that traditional ways of increasing grid capacity often fail because they are complicated and face a lot of opposition.
“Building high-power transmission infrastructure can take a decade or more, and there’s been quite a few examples of projects that folks have had to abandon because they realize that there’s just so much opposition, or there’s too much complexity to pull it off cost effectively,” he added in the press release.
VEIR’s approach not only addresses the technical challenges of increasing power transmission but also aims to streamline the deployment process.
By using advancements in superconducting cables and innovative cooling systems, originally developed in part by Steve Ashworth at Los Alamos National Laboratory, VEIR’s technology promises to deliver higher efficiency and reliability in transmitting electricity over long distances.
Pioneering the future of energy distribution
VEIR plans to launch its first large-scale pilot by 2026. It aims to serve utility companies, data centers, industrial sites, and renewable energy developers as key customers. The initial product line boasts impressive capabilities, with transmission capacities of up to 400 megawatts and voltages reaching 69 kilovolts.
Future iterations aim to scale even further, potentially integrating direct current (DC) lines for enhanced efficiency.
Heidel remains optimistic about the broader implications of VEIR’s technology, asserting, “Just about every single decarbonization scenario… concludes that to achieve aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reductions, we’re going to have to double or triple the scale of power grids around the world.”
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Sujita Sinha A versatile writer, Sujita has worked with Mashable Middle East and News Daily 24. When she isn't writing, you can find her glued to the latest web series and movies.
