American Superconductor gets federal contract
American Superconductor Corp. announced today that it has received a Department of Homeland Security contract for a project that aims to improve Manhattan's power delivery network.
American Superconductor, or AMSC, is a Devens company focused on energy technologies.
The company said it is working on Project Hydra, which focuses on the development and deployment of AMSC's "secure super grids" technology in the power delivery network in Manhattan operated by Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc.
According to AMSC, this technology is a proprietary, system-level 'smart grid' solution that utilizes high temperature superconductor power cables and ancillary controls to deliver up to 10 times more power through the grid while at the same time suppressing power surges, or fault currents, that can disrupt service.
Under the terms of the final contract, the Department of Homeland Security will provide up to $25 million in total funding for the $39 million project, the company said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
