If (and that's a big if) you could devise a superconductor that can operate at room temps, and IF it could be made with reasonably affordable materials...
The main impact would be on electric motor and generator efficiency, at least initially.
A typical copper wound AC generator peaks out at about 91.5% efficiency at converting mechanical force to electric power (and often can be as low as 85% under real world conditions). For superconductors, the theoretical peak is around 99.5%.
"That last three percent, it may not sound like a lot, but it is. It's tremendous."
-Gale, Breaking Bad
It's already been mentioned but turbine generator efficiency gains are not to be scoffed at. Boosting global power production by maybe 10% for almost nothing is no joke.
It's relatively quick to achieve rather than the much larger undertaking of replacing power lines. Which might not even be viable, it might be turn out to be a real room temp SC and cheap to produce, but it doesn't mean the rest of its physical properties are conducive to simply replacing cables, there's a good chance it'll be brittle or prone to stress flaws.
Also the timing of potentially having superconducting microchips at around the same time as useful digital AI is a wild combo
So how is this going to change modern electric tech if it's proven? You need a supercooled setup right, then what?
If (and that's a big if) you could devise a superconductor that can operate at room temps, and IF it could be made with reasonably affordable materials...
The main impact would be on electric motor and generator efficiency, at least initially.
A typical copper wound AC generator peaks out at about 91.5% efficiency at converting mechanical force to electric power (and often can be as low as 85% under real world conditions). For superconductors, the theoretical peak is around 99.5%.
"That last three percent, it may not sound like a lot, but it is. It's tremendous." -Gale, Breaking Bad
Unfortunately, no.
Apparently this new material is a ceramic and cannot be used in wires.
ObBreakingBad: Also practical EMP. That magnet scene in season 5 would actually be possible.
It superconducts up to +130’C
They have a patent already for CVD - heat free computer chips
MRI magnets without cooling - nuclear fusion and smaller MRIs
It's already been mentioned but turbine generator efficiency gains are not to be scoffed at. Boosting global power production by maybe 10% for almost nothing is no joke.
It's relatively quick to achieve rather than the much larger undertaking of replacing power lines. Which might not even be viable, it might be turn out to be a real room temp SC and cheap to produce, but it doesn't mean the rest of its physical properties are conducive to simply replacing cables, there's a good chance it'll be brittle or prone to stress flaws.
Also the timing of potentially having superconducting microchips at around the same time as useful digital AI is a wild combo
It's a ceramic which makes it unsuitable for wires AFAIK.
You can flip a generator inside out.
If it's superconducting, it generates less heat to begin with. So electronics gets even smaller and more efficient and faster.