Extra March, 2009

Date of Issue: March 2, 2009

Superconductivity Web21
Superconductivity

Published by International Superconductivity Technology Center
1-10-13 Shinonome Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0062, Japan Tel:+81-3-3536-7283, Fax:+81-3-3536-7318

What’s New in the World of Superconductivity(January)

Power
American Superconductor Corporation (January 6, 2009)
American Superconductor Corporation has received its first order for a 16 MegaVAR
D-VAR system to meet the dynamic reactive compensation requirements for a 220-kV powertransmission grid in Inner Mongolia, China. The reactive power compensation will be used tostabilize the voltage, relieve power grid congestion, improve electrical efficiency, and prevent
blackouts in the power grid. The order was placed by Beijing SNTA Electric Power Technique
Company, Ltd., who will install the system in a substation that is connected to seven wind farms
producing a total of 600 MW of power. The D-VAR will ensure reliable operation of the power grid
served by this substation and enable the secure transmission of wind-generated electricity to loadcenters. The D-VAR solution is scheduled for delivery to SNTA by mid 2009. Greg Yurek, founderand Chief Executive Officer of AMSC, commented, "As China builds out and upgrades its power
grid to meet the demands of its rapidly growing economy, it is seeking cutting-edge energy
technologies that will meet these demands rapidly and in the most effective way possible. Our
solutions meet these requirements, and we expect strong growth in the Chinese power gridmarket for many years to come."
Source:“AMSC Receives First Order for Chinese Power Grid”
American Superconductor Corporation press release (January 6, 2009)http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86422&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1240673&highlight

American Superconductor Corporation (January 8, 2009)
American Superconductor Corporation has received an order for its D-VAR "STATCOM"
reactive compensation solution from Basin Electric Power Cooperative, one of the largest electric
generation and transmission cooperatives in the United States. The turnkey D-VAR solution will
be deployed near Wright, Wyoming, and will be used to provide steady state and transient voltage
support to maintain transmission system stability and reliability in the region. The system will havea continuous rating of 34 MVAR and a short-term rating of 91 MVAR, making it one of the largest
STATCOMs ever to be deployed in North America. The system is scheduled to begin operation by
the end of calendar 2009.
Source:“AMSC Receives Turnkey D-VAR® Order for the North American Power Grid”
American Superconductor Corporation press release (January 8, 2009)http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86422&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1241923&highlight
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Date of Issue: March 2, 2009

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1-10-13 Shinonome Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0062, Japan Tel:+81-3-3536-7283, Fax:+81-3-3536-7318

Southwire Company (January 10, 2009)
Southwire Company and its partners (American Electric Power [AEP], American
Superconductor Corporation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Praxair) have reported thatthe HTS Triax® superconducting cable system installed in AEP’s Bixby substation in Groveport,Ohio, will celebrate two and a half years of operation on February 6, 2009. The 200-m HTS
cable has been distributing electric power to 8,600 homes and businesses throughout theperiod of the cable’s operation. During this period, the system experienced more than 75
transient events, including lightning strikes; most of these events were through-faults. Nochanges in system temperature or pressure were recorded as a result of these events, and thesystem has operated continuously with no downtime during the two and a half year period of its
operation. David Lindsay, Southwire’s Director of Engineering, Distribution Applications,commented, "Using second-generation [HTS] cable design and recent advances in coolingtechnology, the Bixby installation proves the reliability of HTS Triax Superconducting Cable
systems in reducing the cost of high-efficiency power distribution in an urban setting."
Source:“HTS Triax Superconducting Cable brings more power to more people”
Southwire Company press release (January 10, 2009)http://www.southwire.com/processGetArticle.do?commonId=bf229534774fe110VgnVCM10000
02702a8c0____American Superconductor Corporation (January 13, 2009)
American Superconductor Corporation and Northrop Grumman Corporation haveannounced the successful completion of the full-power testing of the world’s first 36.5-MW HTS
ship propulsion motor at the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Power System Land-Based Test Site inPhiladelphia. The test represents the first successful full-power test of an electric propulsion
motor sized for a large Navy combatant ship; furthermore, with a rating of 36.5 MW, the motor
doubled the Navy’s power rating test record. The HTS motor was designed and built under acontract from the Office of Naval Research to demonstrate the efficacy of HTS motors for future
Navy all-electric ships and submarines. The testing was funded and led by Naval Sea Systems
Command (NAVSEA). The HTS motor is less than half the size of conventional motors for shipsof comparable size and will reduce the total ship weight by 200 metric tons. Dan McGahn, senior
vice president and general manager of AMSC Superconductors, commented, "The successful
load test of our HTS motor marks the beginning of a new era in ship propulsion technology. This
motor provides the U.S. Navy with a truly transformational capability relative to size, stealth,endurance and survivability, providing our Navy with a clear performance advantage for years tocome. We are grateful for the steadfast support from the Office of Naval Research, Naval Sea
Systems Command and the Naval Surface Warfare Center." Overall, the Navy has invested morethan $100 million in the development of HTS technology for ship propulsion.
Source:“AMSC and Northrop Grumman Announce Successful Load Testing of 36.4 Megawatt
Superconductor Ship Propulsion Motor”
American Superconductor Corporation press release (January 13, 2009)http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86422&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1243844&highlight
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Published by International Superconductivity Technology Center1-10-13 Shinonome Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0062, Japan Tel:+81-3-3536-7283, Fax:+81-3-3536-7318

Zenergy Power (January 16, 2009)
Zenergy Power plc has been granted a core patent in Germany related to its HTS
induction heater. The patent covers a key operating process that governs the exceptional
heating control, performance, and overall productivity of the HTS device. With the granting of
this patent, a key design specification enabling significant increases in the industrial outputs of
HTS induction heaters will now be protected.
Source:“Induction Heater Patent”
Zenergy Power plc press release (January 16, 2009)http://www.zenergypower.com/images/press_releases/2009-01-16-induction-heater-patent.pdf
American Superconductor Corporation (January 20, 2009)
American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has reported preliminary financial results
for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, ending December 31, 2008. AMSC expects third-quarter
revenues to fall within the range of US $40 million to $41 million, in line with previous forecasts.
The net loss for the third quarter is expected to be between $8.0 million and $9.0 million, which ishigher than previously forecasted for several reasons including the effects of unfavorable foreignexchange rates. AMSC continues to expect revenues for full-year fiscal 2008 to be within a range
of $175 million to $185 million, and full-year revenue is expected to increase to more than $225
million for fiscal 2009. The company expects to generate a GAAP profit in the fourth quarter offiscal 2008 and predicts that it will be profitable for full-year fiscal 2009.
Source:“AMSC Provides Preliminary Third Quarter Financial Results”
American Superconductor Corporation press release (January 20, 2009)http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86422&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1246456&highlight
American Superconductor Corporation (January 22, 2009)
American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has received a multi-million-dollar orderfrom China's CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CSR-ZEKRI) for 100
sets of core electrical components, including AMSC’s proprietary PowerModule™ PM3000W
power converter, for use in wind turbines. The components will be used in the production of the1.65-MW wind turbines that were designed by AMSC Windtec®. The components are scheduled
for shipment by the end of calendar 2009 and will be used to support CSR-ZELRI’s increased
production of wind turbines. Greg Yurek, founder and chief executive officer of AMSC,commented, "CSR-ZELRI has done a tremendous job of ramping up production of high-quality
wind turbines in a very short time. We expect CSR-ZELRI to continue its rapid growth and to takea significant share of the Chinese wind turbine market in the years ahead."
Source:“China’s CSR-ZELRI Orders 100 Sets of Wind Turbine Core Electrical Components from AMSC”
American Superconductor Corporation press release (January 22, 2009)

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http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86422&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1247122&highlight
American Superconductor Corporation (January 27, 2009)
American Superconductor Corporation has received an order for a large-scale dynamic
reactive compensation solution (D-VAR®) from National Grid, an energy company that manages
the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority(LIPA). The D-VAR STATCOM solution will be installed on the eastern side of Long Island toprovide the reactive power compensation required to stabilize the voltage, relieve power gridcongestion, improve electrical efficiency, and prevent blackouts, thereby ensuring the continued
reliability of the local power grid. Long Island Power Authority President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Kevin S. Law, commented, "In order to continue providing reliable, high quality power, weneeded a solution to stabilize voltage during times of peak demand, particularly over the summer
months when Long Island's population is at its highest." AMSC will provide a full turnkey solution,
including the installation of a 36 MVAR base-rated D-VAR STATCOM and ongoing maintenanceand support for LIPA. The system is scheduled for commissioning in mid 2010. The orderrepresents the second D-VAR solution to be installed in a LIPA power grid.
Source:“AMSC Announces Turnkey D-VAR® Order for Long Island Power Grid”
American Superconductor Corporation press release (January 27, 2009)http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86422&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=1248613&highlight

BasicBoston College (January 27, 2009)
Researchers at Boston College, in collaboration with Tohoku University (Japan) and theNational Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics (China), have reported that the pseudogap
does not disappear with the onset of superconductivity but rather persists and co-exists withsuperconductivity, possibly even competing with the phenomenon. Using scanning tunnelingmicroscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to observe Bi2201, theresearchers discovered that the pseudogap does not merely precede superconductivity but
instead continues to co-exist once the material begins to superconduct. Furthermore, the groupbelieves that the pseudogap’s presence may draw electrons away from the superconductor
gap; in other words, the pseudogap might be competing with superconductivity. The
researchers plan to continue studying the exact nature of these possibly competing states. The
group’s research was published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Source:“The pseudogap persists as material superconducts”
Boston College press release (January 27, 2009)http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/09/MadhavenPseudogap.pdfExtra March, 2009

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Date of Issue: March 2, 2009

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1-10-13 Shinonome Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0062, Japan Tel:+81-3-3536-7283, Fax:+81-3-3536-7318

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (January 27, 2009)
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with
Nagoya University (Japan) and Brookhaven National Laboratory, have discovered that several
high-temperature superconductors exhibit atomic-scale variations in a property known as theFermi surface. Such variations have never before been seen in any kind of material. The Fermi
surface is a measurement of the distribution of electrons in a material. Until now, the Fermi
surface was thought to be uniform throughout any material. Using scanning tunnelingmicroscopy and quasiparticle interference, the MIT researchers observed atomic variations inthe surface of two bismuth-based superconductors. While these variations may merely
represent an oddity, they might serve as an important clue for physicists working to understand
why a broad new class of materials, known as strongly correlated electronic materials, exhibits
exotic properties, including high-temperature superconductivity. The group’s research was
published online in the January 25th edition of Nature Physics.
Source:“Physicists discover surprising variation in superconductors”
Massachusetts Institute of Technology press release (January 27, 2009)http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/superconduct-0127.html(Akihiko Tsutai, Director, International Affairs Division, ISTEC)

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