I. Introduction
IT has been known for many years that the phenomenon of superconductivity offers the opportunity to develop lighter, more compact generators and motors, as well as improved efficiency in power distribution systems. Indeed, prototypes of all three components were made and successfully operated in the decade between 1970–80. These benefits were off set, in part, by the high cost of cooling the components to low temperatures required by the low materials available at the time. The advent of new superconductive materials with much higher transition temperatures has reinvigorated this field, particularly with the development of so-called “second-generation” tapes.