Extra March, 2003

Date of Issue: March 3, 2003

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What’s New in the World of Superconductivity (January)
Power
American Superconductor Corporation (January 14, 2003)
American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has sold a one mega-VAR (MVAR) D-VAR ™
voltage regulation system to Nordex USA Inc., a manufacturer of wind-turbines. The power rating ofthe MVAR D-VAR system is one-eighth of AMSC’s full-size D-VAR system rating. The system wasspecially designed for use with individual wind turbines. Nordex intends to install the MVAR D-VAR
system at a 2.6 MW wind farm in Minot, ND. The system will protect the local utility grid from thevoltage sags that are produced when the wind turbines are initially energized. The system’s output canbe dynamically varied in response to the VAR demand of the wind turbines. John Fedorko, president ofNordex USA, commented “AMSC’s D-VAR voltage regulation system solves the voltage issues
experienced by wind farm operators in weak grid areas and lets us address a wider market with ourwind turbines.” The American Wind Energy Association has estimated that wind farms will be used togenerate about 100,000 MW of energy by 2020.
Source:“American Superconductor Sells Voltage Regulation System to Wind Turbine Manufacturer”
American Superconductor Corporation Press Release (January 14, 2003)
http://www.amsuper.com/html/newsEvents/news/104376405291.html
SuperPower, Inc. (January 21, 2003)
SuperPower, Inc. announced that it has produced its first 10-meter long, second-generation
HTS wire with a performance of 1060 amp-meters. The announcement was made at the US
Department of Energy Wire Development Workshop. Philip J. Pellegrino, president of SuperPower,
Inc., confirmed that SuperPower expects to achieve its goal of consistently producing 1000 amp-meter
wires in lengths of more than 10 meters well before its initial target of December 2003. In addition to
the scale-up of their second-generation HTS wire production facilities, SuperPower is collaboratingwith Los Alamos and Argonne National Laboratories to scale-up second-generation HTS wire
manufacturing technologies.
Source:“SuperPower, Inc. Announces New Coated Conductor Performance Achievements”
SuperPower, Inc. Press Release (January 21, 2003)
http://www.igc.com/news_events/news_story.asp?id=82
American Superconductor Corporation (January 22, 2003)
American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has received a two-year US $ 750,000 Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Institute of Health for thedevelopment of second-generation HTS wire to be used in powerful, high-resolution nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) spectroscopy machines. The HTS wire will be used to create electromagnets
capable of boosting the magnetic field of NMR machines to 25 T or higher. The highest magnetic fieldpresently produced by commercial NMR machines is 21.1 T. A 25 T NMR would enable the resolutionof molecular analyses to be increased by 20%; the sensitivity of the machines would also be increased
dramatically. The HTS wires to be developed in this project must be able to provide the necessary
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Date of Issue: March 3, 2003

Superconductivity Web21
Superconductivity

Published by International Superconductivity Technology Center
5-34-3, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004, Japan Tel:+81-3-3431-4002, Fax:+81-3-3431-4044

persistent current required by NMR applications. In addition, the wires will need to be of sufficiently
high mechanical strength to withstand the high magnetic fields produced by this application. The
increased persistent current flow and the high magnetic field capabilities of AMSC’s
second-generation HTS wire are perfectly suited to NMR applications and may open new market
opportunities for HTS wire in MRI and other areas.
Source:“American Superconductor Receives Grant from National Institutes of Health to Develop Second
Generation HTS Wire”
American Superconductor Corporation Press Release (January 22, 2003)
http://www.amsuper.com/html/newsEvents/news/104367870871.html
American Superconductor Corporation (January 30, 2003)
American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has introduced a new line of SuperVAR ™ HTS
dynamic synchronous condensers. These machines can be used to cost-effectively increase andoptimize the transmission capacity of existing power grids by producing the reactive power required toensure reliable electricity flow through AC power grids. The SuperVAR machines represent an
upgrade of existing technology; standard synchronous condenser frames and stator coils have beencombined with new, power-dense rotor coils made from HTS wire. The HTS rotor enables the machine
to provide up to eight times its rated capacity for short periods, allowing both continuous and transient
VAR requirements to be supported. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has already placed an order for
five of the SuperVAR units. This sale marks the first fully commercial product to incorporate AMSC’s
HTS wire technology. The five units will be based on a prototype that TVA helped finance. This
prototype will be installed in TVA’s grid in November 2003. Greg Yurek, CEO of AMSC, commented,“SuperVAR machines open up an entirely new market for HTS technology. Their introduction coincides
extremely well with the sharp increase in investment for new grid solutions that’s predicted in the U.S.
over the next 10 years . . . Our market analysis shows that the current U.S. market for SuperVARmachines is approximately $200 million per year with a projected compound annual growth rate ofmore than 15 percent. The worldwide market for synchronous condensers is projected to be four to sixtimes larger.”
Source:“American Superconductor Announces Commercial Launch”
American Superconductor Corporation Press Release (January 30, 2003)
http://www.amsuper.com/html/newsEvents/news/104393668111.html

MedeicalCardioMag Imaging, Inc. (January 14, 2003)
CardioMag Imaging, Inc. (CMI) has received a US $ 500,000 investment from the New YorkState Urban Development Corporation d/b/a Empire State Development (ESD). The investment waspart of CMI’s efforts to raise US $5.6 million in second-stage financing to cover costs associated withthe company’s efforts to obtain final FDA approval for its magnetocardiography machine. The FDA is
expected to approve this application sometime in 2003. In addition, John Hopkins Hospital will join theKlinikum Hoyerswerda Hospital (Germany) as a key participant in multicenter trials, which will
generate clinical data that can be used to demonstrate the system’s safety and efficacy.
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Date of Issue: March 3, 2003

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Source:“CardioMag Imaging Receives $500,000 New York State Investment”
CardioMag Imaging, Inc. Press Release (January 14, 2003)
http://www.cardiomag.com/Communication
Superconductor Technologies Inc. (January 21, 2003)
Superconductor Technologies Inc. (STI) expects net revenues of approximately US $ 6.8 to 7
million for the fourth quarter of 2002, ending December 31, 2002. M. Peter Thomas, president andCEO of STI, commented "STI posted nearly 130% commercial product revenue growth and nearly
doubled our systems deployed in the field during 2002. We showed progress on every front, adding
new customers, introducing innovative new products, entering new international markets, and ending
the year on a strong note with a merger [with former Conductus] and concurrent $20 million private
financing.” The fourth quarter results include shipments to a new, major US-based wireless carrier andto a Brazilian carrier. STI has received an initial purchase order from Global Telecom, a subsidiary ofPortugal Telecom/Telefonica SA, the largest mobile carrier in Brazil. Regarding the merger with formerConductus, STI reports that the integration of the two companies is now complete. The STI Sunnyvale
facility has been reorganized as an R&D facility to pursue government contracts.STI expects toannounce its final year-end results in March.
Source:“Superconductor Technologies Inc. Announces Preliminary Fourth Quarter Revenues”
Superconductor Technologies Inc. Press Release (January 21, 2003)
http://ir.thomsonfn.com/InvestorRelations/PubNewsStory.aspx?partner=Mzg0TlRrMU1RPT1QJFkEQ
UALSTO&product=MzgwU1ZJPVAkWQEQUALSTOEQUALSTO&storyId=79484
ISCO International, Inc. (January 22, 2003)
ISCO International, Inc. has received a purchase order for nearly half a million dollars (US)worth of Adaptive Notch Filter ™ (ANF) solutions from a wireless operator in Israel. The order will bedelivered during the first quarter of 2003. Dr. Amr Abdelmonem, CEO of ISCO International,
commented, "This represents the first significant deployment of ANF solutions outside North America.
In working with this operator, it was clear that ISCO could provide significant benefits to theperformance of an existing CDMA network that was experiencing severe in-band interference. We arepleased that this operator has moved forward with what we expect is the first of a series of purchasesof ANF solutions for this network.”
Source:“ISCO International Announces Sale of In-Band Interference Solution”
ISCO International, Inc. Press Release (January 22, 2003)
http://www.iscointl.com/
Superconductor Technologies Inc. (January 30, 2003)
Superconductor Technologies Inc. (STI) reported that its SuperLink ™ Rx product line has
obtained a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of more than 500,000 hours. This value is more thandouble that announced one and a half years ago and is associated with improvements in quality andExtra March, 2003

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Date of Issue: March 3, 2003

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Published by International Superconductivity Technology Center
5-34-3, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004, Japan Tel:+81-3-3431-4002, Fax:+81-3-3431-4044

manufacturability as a result of the dramatic increase in the deployment of SuperFilter ® andSuperLink Rx 850 units, as well as the cumulative hours of their operation. STI shipped its 2000th
SuperLink Rx system in January 2003; the cumulative number of operation hours for all deployedsystems is now more than 23 million. M. Peter Thomas, president and CEO of STI, explained "Theoutstanding performance of the company's products has accelerated market acceptance of HTS
technology from STI. Equipment reliability is an important issue for any product deployed in today's
sophisticated wireless networks. Our customers demand outstanding reliability and performance, andwe're delivering on that promise."
Source:“Superconductor Technologies Inc. Achieves Milestones in Reliability and Market Acceptance”
Superconductor Technologies Inc. Press Release (January 30, 2003)
http://ir.thomsonfn.com/InvestorRelations/PubNewsStory.aspx?partner=Mzg0TlRrMU1RPT1QJFkEQ
UALSTO&product=MzgwU1ZJPVAkWQEQUALSTOEQUALSTO&storyId=80273(Akihiko Tsutai, Director, International Affairs Department, ISTEC)

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