So far, the three Japanese reactors experiencing cooling problems haven't released significant amounts of radiation, but the situation is dangerous, as an explosion Monday morning in Japan damaged a pump bringing in cooling seawater at one reactor and a third reactor began experiencing cooling problems Monday afternoon.

WSJ: Uranium Firms Take Hit After Earthquake

The result is that the triple junction has a tendency to pump fast electrons from the metal into the superconductor, cooling the metal down.

ECONOMIST: Microrefrigeration

During periods of high demand, the heat pump runs in reverse as a heat engine, expanding and cooling the argon and generating electricity.

ECONOMIST: Energy storage