3 ms·
The bit of heat produced in a power line isn't a huge deal. The more important applications will be in electronics and electromagnets. For instance, it would ma
by skosch 7y ago
The bit of heat produced in a power line isn't a huge deal. The more important applications will be in electronics and electromagnets. For instance, it would make nuclear fusion reactors cheaper and easier to build.
- atupis 7y agoAlso batteries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_magnetic_energy_storage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_magnetic_energ...
- chiefalchemist 7y agoSo this isn't about advancing scale and distribution, it's at the end product and product sub-component level. Good to know.
- jerf 7y agoIt is also possible it will enable some setups that aren't currently possible. Part of why transmission loss in power lines is as low as it is is that we build plants near to where the electricity is going to be used, so it's not some sort of physics law that the loss is that low, it's engineering. Right now, the "plate the Sahara in solar to power Europe" solution is not technically feasible due to the transmission loss across that distance. Obviously that's a special case of the general problem of natural power sources not being where people live. If we can transmit power without loss, we get some more options than we have now. I'd still guess the bulk of the value would be in more local uses, but there are some interesting large-scale possibilities, including power transmission.
- sfasfsafd 7y agoYa, but the science popularizers always make it about transmission :S