Superconducting fault current limiters

Events in the power utility industry, such as deregulation, demands for better power quality and reliability, the advent of high temperature superconductivity, and the push to use technology to realize greater profits, have renewed interest in fault current limiters (FCL). Superconducting FCLs will become very important as the deregulation environment takes hold and utilities seek more efficient and cost-effective methods to couple grids, improve power quality, and delay expensive upgrades. The working principle and progress of superconducting FCLs is discussed in this article.