# Superconducting magnetic storage: What to track

Tape prices, helium supply and any real utility orders

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/tracking/

What this tab covers The attributes worth tracking regularly, with the latest value, the direction of travel and why each matters.

SMES is pre-commercial for grid storage; track conductor and helium costs and any utility orders rather than performance indicators.

| Category | Attribute | Latest | Trend | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Techno-economic | **LCOS trajectory** | No published LCOS; latest grid cost data from 1999 (USD 4 million for 6 units, historical)^[4](https://www.modernpowersystems.com/analysis/d-smes-for-wisconsin/) | → stable | Without a credible cost series there is no investable case. |
| Techno-economic | **Coil and cryocooler health** | Design life about 30 years (review figure); no cycle limit from chemistry^[2](https://stax.strath.ac.uk/downloads/m326m222d) | → stable | Quench events and refrigerator uptime replace capacity fade as the health indicators. |
| Supply chain | **Critical material cost and concentration (helium)** | About USD 12/m3 base price (2025); production led by US and Qatar^[5](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-helium.pdf) | ↕ volatile | Low-temperature SMES depends on helium, which competes with MRI and semiconductors. |
| Supply chain | **HTS tape cost** | USD 150 to 200/kA-m volume price (2023); about USD 20/m quoted for PLD tape (2025)^[7](https://www.utupub.fi/items/96bc78a0-c271-48f0-9dd4-f14ec5f06bd3/full)^[8](https://fens.sabanciuniv.edu/sites/fens.sabanciuniv.edu/files/2024-03/the-prospects-of-high-t-superconductors.pdf) | ↗ improving | Fusion magnet demand is scaling output; USD 50/kA-m is seen as the tipping point for power uses, and conductor is the largest cost lever for SMES. |
| Market | **Ancillary service market saturation** | Ancillary services under 5% of US wholesale market value^[6](https://liftoff.energy.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/LIFTOFF_DOE_VVP_10062023_v4.pdf) | ↘ worsening | Batteries and supercapacitors already crowd these small markets. |
| Regulatory | **Safety and environmental compliance** | No SMES-specific grid storage standard identified^[1](https://erf-aisbl.eu/wp-content/uploads/6-SMES-Superconducting-Magnetic-Energy-Storage-present-status-future-Pascal-Tixador.pdf) | → stable | Quench protection and stray-field limits would need site-specific approval. |
| Environmental | **Lifecycle carbon payback period** | No published figure found^[1](https://erf-aisbl.eu/wp-content/uploads/6-SMES-Superconducting-Magnetic-Energy-Storage-present-status-future-Pascal-Tixador.pdf) | → stable | Continuous refrigeration load should be counted in any lifecycle assessment. |
| Technology | **Largest demonstrated HTS SMES** | 2.5 MJ built (KERI, Korea, 2011); 45 MJ pulsed-power design study (2023)^[1](https://erf-aisbl.eu/wp-content/uploads/6-SMES-Superconducting-Magnetic-Energy-Storage-present-status-future-Pascal-Tixador.pdf)^[9](https://public.magnet.fsu.edu/AToth/NSF%20publication%20access/2023/09%20Newly%20Entered%20Pubs%20September%202023/2023%20Cited/2023_Superconducting%20Magnetic%20Energy%20Storage.pdf) | → stable | Scale-up beyond the MJ class is the milestone to watch. |

#### Sources

1. [SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage): present status and future (P. Tixador, Grenoble INP / CNRS) (historical, 2011)](https://erf-aisbl.eu/wp-content/uploads/6-SMES-Superconducting-Magnetic-Energy-Storage-present-status-future-Pascal-Tixador.pdf) Energy Research Forum (ERF), conference presentation, Lund, 2011
2. [Review of applications of superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) to power systems (M. Fadly, MPhil thesis; secondary source)](https://stax.strath.ac.uk/downloads/m326m222d) University of Strathclyde, 2021
3. [D-SMES for Wisconsin (historical trade article, 1999)](https://www.modernpowersystems.com/analysis/d-smes-for-wisconsin/) Modern Power Systems, 1999
4. [Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Helium](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-helium.pdf) US Geological Survey, 2026
5. [Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Virtual Power Plants](https://liftoff.energy.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/LIFTOFF_DOE_VVP_10062023_v4.pdf) US Department of Energy, 2023
6. [Commercial compact fusion triggered REBCO tape industry: pulsed laser deposition technology opportunities and challenges (Zhao et al.)](https://www.utupub.fi/items/96bc78a0-c271-48f0-9dd4-f14ec5f06bd3/full) Superconductivity (Elsevier), vol. 15, art. 100188, 2025
7. [The prospects of high-temperature superconductors (Molodyk and Larbalestier), Science vol. 380, pp. 1220-1222](https://fens.sabanciuniv.edu/sites/fens.sabanciuniv.edu/files/2024-03/the-prospects-of-high-t-superconductors.pdf) Science (AAAS), 2023
8. [Superconducting magnetic energy storage for pulsed power magnet applications (Bhardwaj et al.), IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity vol. 33 no. 5, 5700306](https://public.magnet.fsu.edu/AToth/NSF%20publication%20access/2023/09%20Newly%20Entered%20Pubs%20September%202023/2023%20Cited/2023_Superconducting%20Magnetic%20Energy%20Storage.pdf) IEEE / National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 2023

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and technology](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/sg-sci/index.md)
- [Engineering and performance](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/sg-eng/index.md)
- [Economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/sg-econ/index.md)
- [Impact and additionality](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/sg-impact/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_smes/links/index.md)