Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of a 10 Kv High-Temperature Superconducting Cable System for Energy Distribution

Abstract

This study conducts a life-cycle assessment for the use of superconducting medium voltage cables based on the AmpaCity cable in Germany. The results are compared with the use of a conventional high voltage cable. For the conventional cable, additional transformer losses are included, while for the superconducting cable the operation of the necessary cooling system is considered. The annual transmitted energy represents the functional unit. The annual loss energy of the HTS cable system is lower than that of conventional cable from a load factor of m <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">a</sub> = 0.43. This load factor also represents the ecological break-even point. For a load factor of m <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">a</sub> ≥ 0.43, the greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand of the superconducting cable system are lower than those of the conventional cable system. Thus, if the load is sufficiently high, a superconducting cable can thus be a more environmentally friendly alternative for a future energy system.