Monday, October 17, 2005

Energy

American Superconductor wins trio of new fed contracts

American Superconductor Corp. has been awarded three new government contracts for second generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire and applications development.

These contracts, which have a total value of $1.35 million, were funded under the Department of Defense's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR), and are expected to be completed during the next two years.

The contracts include a Phase II SBIR contract through the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Air Force Research Laboratory for basic development of coil technology using 2G HTS wire for military applications such as rotating machines and magnets. In a second Phase II contract under a STTR program through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, American Superconductor will work with Florida State University to develop and test 2G wire for alternating current losses and quenching in a simulated coil environment.

A third contract is a Phase I STTR program, also through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This contract, in collaboration with the Applied Superconductivity Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focuses on enhancing the current carrying capacity of 2G HTS wire.

Westborough-based American Superconductor stock was trading at mod-morning for $8.42, up one cents from its close yesterday.