As we move into the twenty-first century, energy conservation and environmental considerations will drive us to be more efficient with power consumption. As a consequence, electrical devices will rely more heavily on high performance composite conductors. In many cases, the design of the conductors and the materials of construction will be tailor made for the specific application. This will be possible as stronger and more highly conductive materials become available. The historical development of and rationale for the design of composite conductors is presented in the pages that follow along with characteristics of typical present day conventional and superconducting high current conductors.
