In 1969, Ferrier proposed the concept of using superconducting inductors to store electrical energy. In the early 1970s, the University of Wisconsin Applied Superconductivity Center used an electrical energy storage system composed of superconducting inductors and three-phase AC/DC Graetz bridge to conduct detailed analysis and research on the role of Graetz bridge in the interaction between energy storage units and power systems. It is found that the fast response characteristic of the device is very effective for suppressing the oscillation of the power system, and the application of superconducting energy storage battery in the power system is pioneered. In the mid - 70 - s, in order to solve the BonnevillePowerAdministration (BPA) in the power grid from the Pacific northwest to southern California, 1500 km of double circuit ac 500 kv transmission line on the low frequency oscillation problem, increase the transmission capacity of transmission lines, LASL and BPA collaborated to develop a 30MJ/10MW SMES and installed it in a Tacoma, Washington substation for system testing. The 30MJSMES system is the first large-scale application of superconducting technology in the United States, and the field test results show that SMES can effectively solve the low frequency oscillation on the double-circuit AC transmission line from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California in the BPA grid.

In China, the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other units have started the research work of superconducting magnets very early, and have done a lot of work in the separation of superconducting magnets, magnetic fluid propulsion, nuclear magnetic resonance and even magnetic confinement nuclear fusion tokamak magnets. After entering the 21st century, with the progress of high temperature superconducting technology, Tsinghua University developed 3.45kJBi-2223SMES magnets, developed 150kVA low-temperature superconducting magnet energy storage battery system and used it for laboratory research on improving power quality. In 2005, Huazhong University of Science and Technology successfully developed a 35Kj/7.5kW direct-cooled high-temperature superconducting SMES experimental prototype. The current limiter scheme based on superconducting energy storage battery was proposed and the experimental prototype was developed. In 2006, the research project of 1MJ/0.5MVA high temperature superconducting SMES was launched.