In what could be an important step to someday provide energy to wide areas, scientists in Russia say they have tested a hybrid superconducting electrical cable.

Pravda, the Russian news agency, said the test was successful and it is believed to be the first test of its kind.

The cable uses magnesium diboride, which is a superconductor. The use of superconductors for cables to meet energy needs could potentially provide solar energy to much of the world, according to some theoretical research cited by Pravda.

But a challenge arises because cables made from superconductors have to be constantly cooled.

In their experiment, Russian scientists built the 10-meter cable with a cavity for the transportation of liquid hydrogen. It was tested in Voronezh. Pravda also reported that magnesium diboride was cooled and was acting as a superconductor.

It was also reported by the scientists that the liquid hydrogen flowing at 200-220 g/s would be able to carry some 25 megawatts of power. Some 50 megawatts of electricity could be transmitted by using the superconducting cable, Pravda said.

Also, one scientist told Pravda that the current, voltage and hydrogen flow all can be increased. This would lead to more energy being transmitted, Pravda said. In fact, it could reach 10 gigawatts with the current cable, the report predicts.

The experiments could someday have important implications for world energy production and could lead to transmission of something like solar energy across long distances. At some point, solar energy could be collected in the Sahara Dessert and be transmitted elsewhere using the appropriate technology.

In addition, Pravda said that Russia is a large country so such technology would be very useful. Pravda speculates that if the technology was developed one or two plants could supply sufficient energy for all of Russia.

The Russian experiment follows work by Alex Muller in the field. He and a colleague discovered superconductivity in an oxide material at a temperature which was 50 percent higher than what was previously known and were recently honored by IBM (News - Alert) for the 25^th anniversary of the discovery, according to a report carried on TMCnet.

For his work, he and a colleague shared the Nobel (News - Alert) Prize for Physics in 1987. Inspiration for the Russian test came from Muller’s statements at a recent symposium held at the Institute of excellence for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany.