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American Superconductor
Corporation has added a news release to its Investor Relations website.
Title:
AMSC and Northrop Grumman Announce Successful Load Testing of 36.5 Megawatt
Superconductor Ship Propulsion Motor
Date: 1/13/2009 7:30:00
AM
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Most Powerful Motor Ever Tested by U.S. Navy Motor Size and Weight
Reduced by More Than 50%, Acoustic Signature Reduced, Efficiency Increased
Superconductor Motors Ready for Deployment
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2009--American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC), a
leading energy
technologies company, and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC)
announced today at the Surface Navy Association's 21st National
Symposium the successful completion of full-power testing of the
world's
first 36.5 megawatt (49,000 horsepower) high temperature
superconductor
(HTS) ship propulsion motor at the U.S. Navy's Integrated Power
System
Land-Based Test Site in Philadelphia. This is the first successful
full-power test of an electric propulsion motor sized for a large
Navy
combatant and, at 36.5 megawatts, doubled the Navy's power rating
test
record.
This system was designed and built under a contract from the Office
of
Naval Research to demonstrate the efficacy of HTS motors as the
primary
propulsion technology for future Navy all-electric ships and submarines.
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) funded and led the successful
testing
of the motor.
Incorporating coils of HTS wire that are able to carry 150 times the
power of similar-sized copper wire, the motor is less than half the
size
of conventional motors used on the first two DDG-1000 hulls and will
reduce ship weight by nearly 200 metric tons. It will help make new
ships more fuel-efficient and free up space for additional
warfighting
capability.
"The successful load test of our HTS motor marks the beginning
of a new
era in ship propulsion technology," said Dan McGahn, senior
vice
president and general manager of AMSC Superconductors. "This
motor
provides the U.S. Navy with a truly transformational capability
relative
to size, stealth, endurance and survivability, providing our Navy
with a
clear performance advantage for years to come. We are grateful for
the
steadfast support from the Office of Naval Research, Naval Sea
Systems
Command and the Naval Surface Warfare Center."
AMSC and Northrop Grumman shared the work under a formal business
agreement, with AMSC serving as the prime contractor for the
research
and
development phase.
"HTS
technology offers the Navy a power-dense propulsion solution, and
it will save
money," said Donna Potter, director of the Development &
Integration
business at Northrop Grumman's Sunnyvale, Calif.-based
Marine Systems
business unit. "Whether the Navy uses the size and weight
savings to
make ships lighter and more fuel-efficient, or to pack more
capabilities
onto fewer ships, the end result is the same: more
capability
for the warfighter at less cost to the taxpayer."
Earlier in
2008, the Navy successfully installed another HTS system - an
HTS
degaussing coil - onboard the USS HIGGINS (DDG 76). Powered by
AMSC's HTS
wire and magnet cable technology, the coil system will
undergo sea
trials over the next two years onboard the HIGGINS. Similar
to the
motor, degaussing coils utilizing HTS wire will significantly
reduce
system weight for DDG 1000-class ships, landing platform dock
(LPD) ships,
and for the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
The Navy has
invested more than $100 million in the development of HTS
technology,
paving the way not only for use in Navy ships but also in
commercial
vessels, such as cruise liners and liquefied natural gas
(LNG)
tankers, which can also take advantage of the space and efficiency
benefits of
HTS motors. To learn more about the advantages of HTS
motors,
please visit AMSC in Booth #205 at the Surface Navy
Association's 21st National Symposium, taking place through January
15,
2009 at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia. More
information
can also be found at
http://www.amsc.com/products/motorsgenerators/shipPropulsion.html.
HTS rotating
machine technology is also being applied to the renewable
energy
industry. Wind generator systems utilizing HTS wire instead of
copper wire
are expected to be much smaller, lighter and more efficient
than current
systems. This will lower the cost of wind-generated
electricity
- particularly for offshore wind farms.
About
Northrop
Grumman
Northrop
Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company
whose
120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and
solutions in
information and services, electronics, aerospace and
shipbuilding
to government and commercial customers worldwide.
About
American
Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC)
AMSC is a
leading energy technologies company offering an array of
solutions
based on two proprietary technologies: programmable power
electronic
converters and high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires.
The
company's products, services and system-level solutions enable
cleaner,
more efficient and more reliable generation, delivery and use
of electric
power. AMSC is a leader in alternative energy, offering
licensed
wind turbine designs and electrical systems. As the world's
principal
supplier of HTS wire, the company is enabling a new generation
of compact,
high-power electrical products, including power cables,
grid-level
surge protectors, Secure Super Grids(TM) technology, motors,
generators,
and advanced transportation and defense systems. AMSC also
provides
utility and industrial customers worldwide with voltage
regulation
systems that dramatically enhance power grid capacity,
reliability
and security, as well as industrial productivity. The
company's
technologies are protected by a broad and deep intellectual
property
portfolio consisting of hundreds of patents and licenses
worldwide.
More information is available at www.amsc.com.
American
Superconductor and design, Revolutionizing the Way the World
Uses
Electricity, AMSC, Powered by AMSC, D-VAR, PQ-IVR, PowerModule,
Secure Super
Grids, Windtec and SuperGEAR are trademarks or registered
trademarks
of American Superconductor Corporation or its subsidiaries.
Any
statements in this release about future expectations, plans and
prospects
for the company, including our expectations regarding the
future
financial performance of the company and other statements
containing
the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans,"
"expects,"
"will" and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking
statements
within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. There
are a number of important factors that could cause actual
results to
differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements. Such factors include: uncertainties
regarding
the company's ability to obtain anticipated funding from
corporate
and government contracts, to successfully develop, manufacture
and market
commercial products, and to secure anticipated orders; the
risk that a
robust market may not develop for the company's products;
the risk
that strategic alliances and other contracts may be terminated;
the risk
that certain technologies utilized by the company will infringe
intellectual
property rights of others; and the competition encountered
by the
company. Reference is made to these and other factors discussed
in the
"Risk Factors" section of the company's most recent quarterly or
annual
report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In
addition,
the forward-looking statements included in this press release
represent
the company's views as of the date of this release. While the
company
anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause
the
company's views to change, the company specifically disclaims any
obligation
to update these forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing
the
company's
views as of any date subsequent to the date this press release
is issued.
CONTACT: American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC) Jason Fredette, 978-842-3177 Director of Investor & Media Relations jfredette@amsc.com or Northrop Grumman Corporation Tom Delaney, 410-993-6454 Thomas.delaney@ngc.com Source: American Superconductor Corporation |