Economic analysis of interconnecting distribution substations via superconducting cables

This paper presents an preliminary study of using superconducting cables to interconnect two distribution substations in urban areas in distribution networks. To compare the approach with the conventional underground cables, discussion and calculation is carried out in terms of factors that affect the interconnection: investment cost, reliability, energy loss, capacity, environmental impact and the impact to the fault current limit. A test system is utilized to demonstrate the study. The main findings are: i) superconducting cables are more suitable for transferring large amount of electricity over long distance regarding of costs, capacity and energy losses; ii) superconducting cables can compete with conventional cables when operating over long time span; and iii) the reliability of superconducting cables needs to be improved in order to promote their practical application.