Headline: First meeting of the Advisory Committee on Superconductivity

On November 29, the Advisory Committee on Superconductivity held its kick-off meeting at the IASS, under the chairmanship of IASS Scientific Director Prof. Carlo Rubbia. Experts from research institutions and academia, as well as representatives from public utilities and industry from all over the world met to discuss the latest developments and future perspectives of the E³ Cluster's research programme "Long-distance energy transport through superconducting electric lines". In particular, the research group members provided insights into their evaluation of the socio-economic aspects of this technology's deployment.

The meeting also featured speeches by some of the project's most important partners, such as Dr. Amalia Ballarino from CERN, where a prototype superconducting cable is being built and tested, Dr. Giovanni Grasso from Columbus Superconductors, the wire's manufacturer, and Mr. Frédéric Lesur from Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE), the French electricity transmission system operator.

The Advisory Committee, which aims at accompanying the progress of the research group by providing feedback and advice, brings together major stakeholders in the field of superconducting electric lines. Following its first meeting, it will convene on a regular basis and actively follow-up the research project.

A list of the Committee's members can be found here.

Superconducting electric lines, which are not hindered by ohmic losses, could provide a significantly more efficient solution for the transportation of energy over thousands of kilometers, and would thus be complementary to the development of renewable energy sources often located in remote areas.
Through its numerous collaborations with research institutions and industry, the IASS research group on Superconductivity aims at demonstrating the feasability of this technology and promoting its industrial application.