Across the world, more than 3,000 gigawatts of renewable energy are waiting in line to connect to power grids – the equivalent to five times the solar and wind capacity added to the global network in 2022. With this clean energy now ready to use, the problem isn’t power generation. The issue is connecting it to grids.
The world’s grids were built decades ago and can no longer keep up with the pace of change. From electric vehicles and heat pumps to hyperscale data centres and hydrogen plants, electricity demand is growing faster than the infrastructure designed to carry it. The result is a frustrating gridlock. If the energy transition is to succeed, it’s not enough to generate clean power. We must move it efficiently, safely and at scale. That is where a grid revolution is quietly taking shape, powered by superconducting technology.
Ageing infrastructure meets rising demand
The problem isn’t a lack of ambition or investment in renewables but an overreliance on outdated infrastructure that can’t deliver energy where it’s needed most. These inefficiencies threaten climate progress and energy security, delaying the deployment of clean power and driving up costs for consumers and industries alike.
Yesterday’s grids were built for centralised, predictable generation and stable demand. Today’s energy landscape is decentralised, digital and dynamic. Bridging that gap is one of the defining engineering challenges of our time.
In New York, for example, grid operators are still running systems that are half a century old and operating close to their limits. New loads from electric vehicles, heat pumps and distributed generation are pushing those networks beyond their design capacity. Replacing them with conventional power cables is expensive and complex, especially in crowded urban areas where underground space is already congested.
Meanwhile, the lack of capacity to move renewable energy from remote generation sites to centres of demand is a concern in rural areas. In both cases, conventional cabling has reached its limits. If we are to meet the scale of electrification required, we need a fundamentally new approach to power transmission and distribution networks.
Enter the superconductor
High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cables represent that new approach. Operating at around -200°C, superconducting materials achieve a state in which electricity flows with virtually zero resistance. That means minimal energy loss during transmission, no heat generation and no electromagnetic interference.
Thanks to their compact design, they can be laid in narrower corridors or retrofitted into existing underground conduits facilitating the rights-of-ways and permitting challenges while reducing the civil works requirements and associated costs.
Furthermore, their exceptional transmission capacity make it possible to transmit electricity at lower voltages thanks to higher ampers – but transmitting the same power. Bringing power into cities at a lower voltage reduces the need for step down transformers – a big saving in land acquisition, civil works and equipment costs.
This transformative in dense urban environments and the technology redefines what’s possible for modern energy infrastructure.
Superconducting cables can carry high current density and therefore deliver more power at much lower voltages than conventional cables, while consuming fewer resources and reducing the power transmission losses. They require less excavation and shorter installation times, meaning less disruption to communities and faster completion. With reduced material usage and near-zero electrical losses, they contribute to lower emissions and a smaller environmental footprint combining efficiency with environmental responsibility whilst ensuring economic sustainability and performance.
Fully shielded and immune to electromagnetic interference, buried superconducting cables provide significantly greater electrical system resilience than overhead lines, which are fully exposed to weather-related risks such as storms and wildfires, and are not to potential damages and vandalism. For cities struggling with space and ageing networks, superconducting systems make it possible to build smarter, denser grids without tearing up streets or expanding underground networks.
It must also be noted that the rise of the digital economy is creating enormous pressure on electrical infrastructure. Data centres, which underpin digital transformation, are expanding rapidly. New hyperscale facilities are being designed for power capacities of five gigawatts or higher, and traditional copper-based systems simply cannot scale fast enough to support these needs.
Thanks to their ultra-high current capacity and a compact footprint, HTS systems can deliver reliable power to data centres without excessive heat generation or energy waste. They simplify infrastructure design, reduce operational costs and help operators meet sustainability goals.
Superconducting technology also enhances grid resilience. Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SFCLs) can instantly contain dangerous fault currents without complex control systems. They provide automatic protection during short circuits and overloads, safeguarding equipment such as transformers and switchgears, thus protecting critical parts of the network infrastructure in smart cities – stabilising and optimising grids as power demand increases .
By enabling the network to handle power from any source, anywhere, superconducting technology supports the integration of distributed renewables, storage systems and demand-response solutions.
It is time to start the grid revolution
After decades of research and pilot projects, superconducting technology is ready for large-scale deployment. The physics is proven, the materials are mature and the business case has never been stronger. The question is no longer whether superconductors will revolutionise the grid, but how quickly utilities, governments and investors will seize the opportunity.
Adopting superconducting will enable sustainable urban growth, stronger energy resilience and greater public confidence in the transition to clean power. When optimised, it can deliver a grid that is not only more efficient but also more adaptable, and fully ready for the era of decentralised, modular and data driven energy systems whilst enabling more efficient integration of renewable energy sources.
A fast-growing market demand comes from AI data centres. Those intensive electrical assets require several MW of power if not GW. Superconducting cables are not just a technical upgrade, as they fundamentally enable the future model of hyperscale, AI-driven, high-density, sustainable data centres. Superconducting cables enable 10 times more power capacity in limited space, eliminate resistive heating and energy losses, reduce CO? emissions through high efficiency, support long-distance high-density power delivery, and enhance reliability with built-in fault limiting.
Those who act now stand to gain lasting advantages in efficiency, capacity and resilience. Those who wait may find themselves constrained by the very infrastructure limitations that superconducting technology was designed to solve. The energy transition depends not only on producing clean power but on moving it freely and efficiently across an electrified world, in a safe and sustainable manner. The grid revolution is coming, and superconductors are here to make it possible.
By Yann Duclot, Acceleration Units Director at Nexans
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