AbstractThe advantages of energy storage systems operating on electric power networks are well known, concerning with their capabilities of load levelling. As superconductivity technology improves and expands into several new fields of application, it becomes increasingly significant to consider superconducting magnets as alternative energy storage systems. The possibility of easily controlling the energy stored in the magnets through electronic converters gives more interest to the topic, and much more if one considers that the magnet inductance will provide AC/DC converters with the ideal load, consisting of a DC current source. The authors examine two different solutions for the converters configuration, in a way that underlines performances and limits of each solution. In particular, natural and forced commutation converters are considered: a simple, naturally commutated converter scheme is analyzed; and then the use of GTO thyristors is pointed out. Potentialities are compared.