Another problem for electric grids and offshore wind in particular.
The indispensable role of cables: Powering modern society https://inverto.com/en/insights/navigating-the-power-cable-supply-crunch/ Electrical power cables within grid networks are foundational to modern economies and society…The high-voltage (HV) cable market, alone, has grown by 22.6% in the last year. Yet, there’s a major lack of supply, which is creating significant challenges…
In the US, a major Nordic renewable energy company has abandoned two offshore wind projects due to supply chain challenges and a lack of available critical equipment. With a combined planned capacity of 2,248 MW, these would have powered over 1.5m homes a year.
The UK faces similar challenges. According to BBC estimates, there are over £200 billion worth of projects waiting to be connected to the grid. That’s despite a commitment to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, according to the sixth Carbon Budget. Leading energy companies have been told that some connections may take up to 15 years, far beyond that target…
Although we have seen a relative increase in raw material prices of nearly 8% over the last four years, average end-product prices have surged by 21% in the same period, as illustrated in Chart 2. This difference results from supply failing to meet demand, leading to higher profit margins for cable manufacturers. This is evidenced by their growing EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) and expanding order books.
Google recently announced a collaboration with CTC Global to deploy new, improved transmission cables in the US power grid. CTC’s advanced product is called the Aluminum Conductor Composite Core (ACCC).
From the link:
"To identify transmission line projects for this initiative, states, utilities, and transmission developers can respond to the RFI issued today. Selected partners and projects will gain access to a powerful combination of Google and CTC Global resources designed to accelerate deployment, including:
Cost Assistance: Funding will be available to accelerate deployment of CTC Global’s high-capacity ACCC® Conductors and accelerate capacity growth.
Future-Ready Workforce Development: Utilities will be eligible for training to equip their workforce in the deployment of ACCC Advanced Conductors.
Technical Analysis: Support for technical project studies will be available to validate the technology’s integration and impact."
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Wikipedia has an article on the ACCC. A few interesting points highlighted below…
[The ACCC] is able to carry approximately twice as much current as a traditional aluminium-conductor steel-reinforced cable (ACSR) cable of the same size and weight…
Its light weight and softness result in roughly 30% greater conductivity than an equivalent ACSR conductor, allowing 14% more current to be carried at equal temperature.
However… The primary disadvantage is cost; ACCC costs 2.5–3 times as much as ACSR cable.
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According to the Wikipedia entry, CTC Global is owned by “Russian oligarchs involved in the Russian military complex”. So that could be a slight problem?
Steel for strength and aluminum for conductivity seems like an obvious combination. Patents expired years ago. Is there value added? Or are these commodity low margin products? Extremely competitive.
Is copper a significant play for grid improvement?
Aluminum has 61% the conductivity of Copper, though it is cheaper and lighter. It does mean larger diameter wires, and is more prone to corrosion than copper. It’s just hard to beat copper for high power situations.