San Francisco-based Zenergy Power Inc., a firm that develops high-efficiency, renewable energy devices that capitalize on superconductor technologies, has received a two-year extension for its cooperative research and development agreement with Sandia National Laboratories to develop low-cost, commercially viable techniques to manufacture components designed to protect the nation's power grid. The program is jointly funded with the U.S. Department of Energy.
In collaboration with Sandia, Zenergy is investigating methods to mass-produce low-cost, second-generation (2G) superconductor wires – special-purpose wires that, when incorporated into advanced energy management devices, are expected to play an important role in improving the stability and efficiency of the smart grid that will replace sections of the aging electric power infrastructure in the U.S.
Since 2006, Zenergy has been refining low-cost, 2G production techniques under a cooperative research and development agreement with Sandia. The program capitalizes on Zenergy's all-chemical continuous production methodology. It offers the potential to lower fabrication costs over competing techniques that require expensive high vacuum or laser deposition systems to manufacture wires, according to the company.
SOURCE: Zenergy Power Inc.