Dublin-based SuperNode, a renewable technology company, announced recently that it has secured €8M in an additional funding round from its existing shareholders — AKER Horizons and Volnay.
The Irish company will use the funds to advance its superconducting transmission technology further.
SuperNode CEO John Fitzgerald says, “We are thankful for the continued backing from our major investors, Aker Horizons and Volnay. This funding will enable us to develop further our key initiatives: technology development at our Dublin and Blyth facilities, prototype testing and demonstration projects, and bringing this game-changing technology to market, supporting decarbonisation and energy independence.”
The announcement comes a few days after the company was officially recognised as one of the Best Workplaces in Europe in 2024.
The company was ranked as the 17th best workplace in Europe and is the highest-ranked Irish company on the list.
Birth of SuperNode
SuperNode was born from the realisation that the grid as currently constituted will not be capable of handling the increased share of renewable energy necessary to achieve decarbonisation.
Conventional cable technology is capacity-constrained and will not be capable of transmitting the required levels of renewable power needed in the system.
As a result, the Irish company is developing these cables using superconductor technology.
According to the company, “Superconductors are a phenomenon in some materials that when cooled to very low temperatures can transmit power with zero electrical losses. These cables can carry huge amounts of power in a much smaller surface area than conventional cables and require significantly less infrastructure, materials, and space.”
SuperNode: Developing superconducting transmission technology
Founded in 2018 by the late renewable energy pioneer Eddie O’Connor, SuperNode specialises in next-generation superconducting cable systems.
SuperNode was originally named after the network concept, the supernode, before shifting its focus to developing superconducting technology.
According to the company, the cable systems can convey 5-10 times more energy than conventional electricity cables.
The technology provides solutions to current electricity grid challenges and will play a key role in the transition to decarbonisation.
To date, superconducting cable system power applications have been restricted to lower distribution levels to increase power transfer capabilities in urban settings where the greater power densities provided and smaller footprints of superconducting cable systems are ideal given that space is at a premium.
Examples include the AmpaCity project in Essen, Germany, and the Shingal Project in Seoul, South Korea.
