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Market Heats Up for Disruption-Resistant Superconductors

By Joyce Pellino Crane

When electrical transmission cables and tree branches glisten in brilliant sunlight, drop your camera and run to the nearest hardware store for a generator.

I learned this hard lesson in December 2008 after an ice storm left downed wires, branches and debris throughout several counties northwest of Boston and across six other northeastern states, leaving one million without electricity, some for as long as two weeks. It will be a long time before I forget what it’s like to wrap holiday presents by a smoky fire with gloves on.

American Superconductor’s (AMSC: Nasdaq) wires run underground inside cable systems that are less susceptible to nature or terrorist attacks than the current technology. A high temperature superconductor has almost no resistance to the flow of electricity and is imbued with the capacity to transmit 150 times the power of copper wires. A key characteristic of AMSC’s superconductor technology is its ability to self-heal by automatically isolating dangerous power surges. Continue reading AMSC’s “Secret Sauce” Starts to Simmer

Demand Responder Eyes New Growth Areas as Key Market Prices Dip

by Joyce Pellino Crane

EnerNOC, Inc., announced its acquisition of Cogent Energy, Inc., on December 9, signaling a strategic move into the energy efficiency sector that is designed to help it capitalize on the Smart Grid’s growth potential.

But the company was launched in 2004 Continue reading ENERNOC BROADENS SCOPE IN SMART GRID SECTOR