Page "Superconducting magnetic energy storage" Paragraph 30

Whether HTSC or LTSC systems are more economical depends because there are other major components determining the cost of SMES: Conductor consisting of superconductor and copper stabilizer and cold support are major costs in themselves.

They must be judged with the overall efficiency and cost of the device.

Other components, such as vacuum vessel insulation, has been shown to be a small part compared to the large coil cost.

The combined costs of conductors, structure and refrigerator for toroidal coils are dominated by the cost of the superconductor.

The same trend is true for solenoid coils.

HTSC coils cost more than LTSC coils by a factor of 2 to 4.

We expect to see a cheaper cost for HTSC due to lower refrigeration requirements but this is not the case.

So, why is the HTSC system more expensive?