  Superconducting materials hold great potential to bring radical changes for
electric power and high-field magnet technology , enabling high-efficiency
electric power generation, high-capacity lossless electric power transmission,
small light-weighted electrical equipment, high-speed maglev transportation,
ultra-strong magnetic field generation for high-resolution magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) systems, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) systems, the future
advanced high energy particle accelerators, nuclear fusion reactors and so on.
The performance, economy and operating parameters (temperatures and magnetic
fields) of these applications strongly depend on the electromagnetic and
mechanical properties, as well as manufacturing and material cost of
superconductors. This perspective examines the basic properties relevant to
practical applications and key issues of wire fabrication for practical
superconducting materials, and describes their challenges and current state in
practical applications. Finally, future perspectives for their opportunities
and development in the applications of superconducting power and magnetic
technologies are given.
