[stcredzero]

The material used for conductors must be mechanically stable and perform consistently from one production batch to another. One reason why current high tc superconductors are not popular

I was going to ask: Why don't we use the current high temperature superconductors, and start building grid interconnects? I guess part of the answer lies in the cost that would be incurred because of the mechanical properties of the existing superconductors.

[jacquesm]

Because it is easier to keep a localized thing cool than something that is 100's of km long. That's why iceboxes are boxes and not ice ribbons and why most applications of superconductors right now are using them as coils for magnetic field and volume economy. For instance there is one grid component that uses superconducting coils as inertia free stabilizers, they can be used to source and sink current very rapidly to absorb transients in the load. This allows older and less stable grids to be used to transfer wind power because the power over time is a bit lower. Allowing those peaks unfiltered onto the grid would cause parts of it to go down.

[stcredzero]

Because it is easier to keep a localized thing cool than something that is 100's of km long.

If we simply decided to make this kind of thing a priority, we could probably manufacture suspension components at scale. (Or create small tunnel boring machines and bury them?) We wouldn't need to replace all of the lines. We'd just need enough interconnects to make transferring more power economical.

[mrguyorama]

The current best "High temperature", standard pressure superconductor only works at -150ish degrees Celsius. That's not as bad as cryogenic superconductors, but it is still a blocker for large scale use.

[stcredzero]

In essence, my comment is asking, "Why is it a blocker?" Very efficient thermal insulation is something we already have.