Jim Robb, chief executive of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the regulator, is exactly right to say there’s an urgent need to build more transmission lines to satisfy the present and rising strain on US electrical infrastructure (Report, January 15), but the type of line matters just as much.
Bill Gates said in 2023 that there are over 1,000 gigawatts of clean energy projects, around the same size as the entire US grid, awaiting approval but hindered by insufficient transmission capacity. Investors and regulators are deadlocked, each wanting the other to concede before new power cable lines are built. Upgrading existing infrastructure could continue the trend of efficiency gains meeting growing demand without any new permits needed. However, traditional aluminium conductor steel reinforced cable lines are heavy and the thick steel support limits the volume of aluminium wires, which are responsible for transmission capacity. Composite materials used as supporting element for the conductor core are lightweight and strong enough to free up space for more aluminium, meaning existing electrical infrastructure can be refurbished to transmit more electricity.
Advanced materials, like those we use at Exel, can increase the current grid capacity, solving the reliability issue, and can be integrated into pipeline projects to future-proof US power infrastructure for decades
to come.
Francesco Ierullo
Head of Sales Americas, Exel Composites
Erlanger, KY, US
