Question

Why are superconductors not used to transmit power? If superconductors were available at the time of Edison and Tesla, would Edison have won the energy battle? What would change if superconductors could be used economically in our electrical grid?

Answer 1

superconductors exhibit zero resistance, as a result, there will not be any heat generated in the current flow or there will not be any transmission loss.

The main problem to use superconductors for daily life applications is that they exhibit superconductivity at very low temperatures but not at normal or room temperatures. So it is basically a lab-based phenomenon where we can create sub-zero and near absolute zero Kelvin temperatures. But research is promising few materials which can exhibit very high superconductivity at higher temperatures but it still remains to be tested and brought to applications of daily life.

Now coming to Tesla and Edison, If they were available at their time yes, they must have made the best use of them to come up with brilliant ideas but that is kind of fiction and will not bear any scientific value more.

If superconductors are used in grids there will be anormous saving of power.