National Grid and VEIR, an early-stage clean technology company, have announced a collaboration to demonstrate VEIR’s use of superconductivity to modernize electric power transmission.
VEIR is pioneering the first application of superconducting transmission over long distances, which is needed to safely and reliably deliver renewable sources of energy from where it is generated to where it is needed, often across the country. National Grid will aid VEIR in product development with the joint aim of demonstrating the new technology on a protected area of the grid.
Under the Collaboration Agreement, National Grid engineers will help proof VEIR’s work by providing constructive feedback during all phases of development, with an emphasis on how best to integrate this new technology into the larger electric grid.
“National Grid’s collaboration with VEIR is a perfect intersection of our mission to discover and deploy startup technology that can help National Grid continue its leadership in the renewable energy future,” said Lisa Lambert, chief technology & innovation officer of National Grid and founder & president of National Grid Partners. “VEIR is working on a transformative technology for the electric grid, and this collaboration will combine the strengths of an innovative startup with the scale and expertise of an established industry leader.”
Superconductors can transmit 5 to 10 times the capacity of conventional transmission lines, but earlier applications of the technology use underground closed loop systems with mechanical refrigeration stations that have multiple moving parts. This has hampered their broadscale grid deployment. VEIR uses an open system where evaporative cooling distributed along the entire distance of the transmission lines is used to keep the superconducting material cold. The simpler, lighter components allow for overhead deployment over long distance.
VEIR’s technology comes at a time when major studies indicate that the United States must double or triple the transmission capacity needed to connect more renewable energy to the electric grid and combat climate change. As new transmission lines become necessary, projects that use of VEIR’s new superconductors will be able to move more capacity within existing rights of way thus easing siting and permitting reviews for developers. VEIR, Inc. (www.VEIR.com) was founded in 2020. The company’s investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Congruent, and The Engine. It closed Series A funding of US$ 12M in March 2021.
