Superconductor Cables for Data Center Applications

March 24, 2010

Agenda

• Introduction to AMSC• AC Superconductor Cables• LV DC Superconductor Cables• A Challenge

• Market/Ticker: NASDAQ/AMSC• Founded: 1987• Headquarters: Devens, MA• Other locations: Wisconsin,

Pennsylvania, Austria,

China• Employees: 650+• Patents owned or licensed: 700+

About American Superconductor

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Estimates as of 11/19/09

AMSC Power Systems • Produces power electronic

D-VAR® and SVC reactive compensation systems

• Provides licensed wind energy system designs

AMSC Superconductors• Produces HTS wire• Designs, develops and

licenses HTS products, and manages large-scale HTS projects

Partnering with AMSC

AMSC offers a unique corporate experience base:• 23-year history in the development and manufacture of superconductor wire

and systems• Involvement in two-thirds of the world’s HTS superconductor project

installations• Supplier of >75% of all HTS wire used in power applications• In-house System Planning Department experienced in modeling

superconductor cable systems• Cryogenic system design expertise tailored to HTS projects• Protection and control system design expertise• Turn-key superconductor cable system integration experience

AMSC offers unmatched capabilities

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AMSC and First Element Offer a Unique HTS Partnering Experience

• DATA CENTER DESIGN SUPPORT: First Element and AMSC can assist in completing any studies needed to site, size and evaluate the system impact of HTS cables

• CABLE SPECIFICATION SUPPORT: AMSC can develop cable electrical requirements.

• CRYOGENIC SYSTEMS: AMSC can develop specifications for, and provide the cooling system and assist in evaluating cryogenic refrigeration options.

• SYSTEM INTEGRATION SERVICES: AMSC and First Element can define the scope of supply, timelines, installation, and commissioning requirements – including turnkey services - for the overall HTS cable project.

AMSC is Uniquely Suited as an HTS Cable Project Partner

Superconductor Cables for Data Centers

AC Cables• High power cables as

alternative to conventional power cables

LV DC Cables• Extremely

compact• Extremely light• Allows for new

data center design concepts

LIPA 138kV, 575MVACable System

22kV, 50MVACable

1.4

3.3

4.2

28.8

95.6

0 20 40 60 80 100

208V

480V

600V

4160V

13.8kV

3-phase MVA

Maximum AC Superconductor Cable Rating

Power Transfer Equivalency of Superconductor Cables

• Same Voltage, More Power- Greatly increased power

transfer capacity at any voltage level

Superconductor cables provide much greater power transfer than conventional cable

* Superconductor rating based on conventional 4000A breaker rating

Application Advantages of AC Cable

Photo courtesy MIT

• Single cable can replace multiple cables

• Lower power losses bring power into a data center

• Lower installation costs

One of these

or

All of this?

Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers

A DC power distribution system within Data Centers could increase the efficiency of typical operations by over 28%*

* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

Data Center Power Consumption

Superconductor Advantages with DC Power

• When carrying DC current, superconductors themselves are perfectly lossless

• Regardless of length • Regardless of power rating

• Benefits• No power limitations based on current-based losses• Allows higher current levels• Allows longer cable runs

Superconductors offer significant advantages in data center applications

Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers

* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

Copper Realities

• Voltage Drop limits length and therefore data center design

• Resistance produces heat and increased cooling costs

• Large number of cables are Heavy, expensive to install, and require significant support

Copper, though effective, introduces design limitations

Conventional copper bus work from DC plant to PDUs

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Degaussing Systems

Ship moving though the earth’s magnetic field creates a magnetic disturbance that is detectable by enemy magnetic mines

Degaussing Systems

Baseline Copper SystemDDG1000

HTSSingle loop, 1/10 the weight

Today, heavy, bulky copper cables are used to “hide” ship magnetic signature. Current capacity of copper often requires multiple cables to be used in a single loop

=

Degaussing Systems

LV DC superconductor cables are in service today in very demanding environments

Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers

RefrigerationHTS Cable

Junction

Box

Monitoring

* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

LV Superconductor DC 1000-8000A Power Cable

Equivalent Power Density of Copper to Superconductors

Typical helium cryocooler

Cryostat

Practical deployment of Superconductor Cables in Data Centers

• Refrigeration required• Larger bending radius required for cryostat (3-6’) • Tap points increase thermal load

• Minimize number of tap points

• Allows long runs from more centrally located DC plants• Allows higher current runs

HTS CABLE

Drops within PDU or to multiple PDUs

Advantages of LV Superconductor Cable

* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

•No voltage drop frees up data center design (better floor space utilization)

•No electrical resistance reduces data center power consumption by up to 20% (losses and cooling)

•Small single cable reduces construction cost and time

•One 2” diameter, 1 lb/ft cable carries >4000A an unlimited distance with no voltage drop

Superconductors offer significant advantages in data center applications

48VDC Losses: Cu Vs Superconductor Cables

• Loss parity with copper for shorter distances and lower current

• Efficiency increases significantly with distance and current

Length 150 ft 150 ft 500 ft 1000 ft

Current 2000 A 4000 A 4000 A 4000 A

Superconductor cooling power 3.3kW 4.6kW 7.3kW 9.3kW

Cu* Losses 3.4kW 6.6kW 22.kW 44.3kW

Loss Improvement 2% 8% 66% 79%

Superconductor cables reduce energy consumption

* 0.5A/mm2 copper capacity

Estimated Installed Cost 48VDC: Cu Vs Superconductor Cables

• One cable replaces many, reducing cost and speeding and simplifying installation

• Superconductor cables have smaller footprints easing installation

• Lower weight reduces cable tray costs

Length 150 ft 150 ft 500 ft 1000 ft

Current 2000 A 4000 A 4000 A 4000 A

Installed Cost Savings (HTS to Cu)

0% 20% 40% 55%

Superconductor cables are economical

• 0.5A/mm2 copper capacity • Copper cost installation estimates provided by First Element

Advantages of a Superconductor Cabled Data Center

• Establishes a new standard in power delivery efficiency• A complete superconductor cabled data center is

estimated to reduce a power requirements by 20% or more

• Lower cabling installation costs• Savings driven by amperage and cable length

• Enables relocation of equipment to less expensive locations• Rectifiers, batteries, and UPS systems typically consume

10% or more of a data center’s floor space• Free up space on data center floors

Superconductor cables are game changers

AMSC LV DC Superconductor Cables

• AMSC can design and build DC superconductor cables of:• Any voltage• Any current rating• Any length• Completely engineered with cooling system and monitoring

• AMSC wants to:• Develop standard LV DC product range for data center

applications• Develop standardized connections, etc

AMSC is looking for Partner Companies to Deploy LV HTS Data Center Cables