Chicago's electric power grids are getting upgraded to prepare for unforeseen catastrophes.
ComEd, Chicago's unit of Exelon Corp., is teaming up with American Superconductor, a U.S. energy technology company based in Devens, Mass., to construct a superconducting cable system
that strengthens the city's power grid.
The Resilient Electric Grid, which has AMSC's high temperature superconductor technology, is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's work to protect the country's power grids from extreme weather, terrorist attacks or other disasters.
The ComEd installation is the first commercial use of this technology in the U.S.
ComEd provides power to nearly 4 million customers in Northern Illinois, approximately 70 percent of the state's population including Chicago.
