Munich, October 10, 2024: "Can you imagine using this technology to secure the electricity needs for a city like Munich? You should think about it." In 2026, this dialog became the starting point for considering to build a 110,000-volt superconductor for Munich - the SuperLink. Together with project partners NKT (Cologne), Theva (Ismaning), Linde (Munich, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Applied Sciences Südwestfalen, grid operator SWM Infrastruktur developed, tested and installed a superconductor in the Munich power grid. The research project is being funded by Project Management Jülich on behalf of the German government.
The prototype has now been successfully put into operation at SWM's main substation in Menzing - as the world's first high-voltage superconductor that contains all the components required for long-distance installation within a large city and over land.
Foundation for future power grids
The technology is based on the fundamental research of German physicist Dr. Johannes Georg Bednorz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987 together with Swiss scientist Karl Alexander Müller, for the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity. With superconductivity, large amounts of electrical energy can be transported almost without loss. The main challenresearch project's main challenges were the functionality of the superconductor, the cable connection technology, the cooling technology, the cooling circuit and the long-term stability of the cable technology. The use of superconductors is a pioneering technical solution for the future energy grids of metropolitan areas. 37 years after the Nobel Prize, German companies are thus also positioning themselves as world leaders in terms of implementation, underlining the reputation of Bavaria as a technology location.
Global interest and global demand
This technology is being researched in many countries. In addition to the requirements posed by the energy transition in Germany, there is a need for additional energy transport to metropolitan areas and industrial centers in all industrialized countries. Superconductors also improve the sustainability of the electricity supply. On one hand, they can transport more electricity, which means lower lei lines are necessary. On the other hand, line losses are eliminated, which leads to significant improvements interms of efficiency and CO2 emissions.
Future use in Munich's electricity grid
The superconductor commissioned at SWM's main substation in Menzing is now being put through its paces in operation. If, as is to be expected, the prototype meets the requirements placed in it, the world's first commercial high-voltage superconductor is to be installed in Munich once the technical and economic conditions have been met.
This success is only possible, because manufacturers, research, the federal government and the energy supply have worked hand-in-hand in a targeted manner.
More information about the project can also be found in the SWM magazine (in German): www.swm.de/unternehmen/magazin/innovation/supraleiter