Power poles constantly face resistance, since many believe they ruin the landscape. And those objections could grow as more and more power lines are needed to accomplish the change to renewable energy. Hence, the European Composite Pylon (ECP) project offers a compact alternative to conventional, aesthetically displeasing steel lattice towers.
A new design for power poles
The energy system transition will only work with a massive expansion of the power grids. However, new lines often meet with public resistance. A design study funded by the European Union seeks to change that.
A new design for power poles
The energy system transition will only work with a massive expansion of the power grids. However, new lines often meet with public resistance. A design study funded by the European Union seeks to change that.
The ECP project started in November 2019. In August 2021, less than two years after the project started, three full-scale demonstrator power poles have been erected in Denmark. In between, there were several months of design, material and manufacturing developments. "We are thrilled to be part of this exciting project. With Composite Pylon, we want to accelerate the expansion and conversion of power grids that is urgently needed for the energy revolution (see above)," says Dr. Matthias Domm, Technical Project Manager at PC. PC is responsible for the support arms – key elements of the Composite Pylons. One arm is 16 m long and weighs 4.6 tons. The support arms were tested mechanically and electrically under real conditions.
Composite Pylon should accelerate the expansion and conversion of power grids that is urgently needed for the energy revolution.
Composite hollow insulators as support arms
The support arms consist of composite hollow insulators with silicone housing. They not only absorb the loads of the transmission lines and conduct them into the monopile; they also fulfill the function of electrical insulation at the same time. This eliminates the need for additional suspension insulators, as in conventional steel lattice tower. As a result, the Composite Pylon can be much smaller than conventional steel lattice towers.
Other advantages include simpler maintenance and faster installation. A pole can be erected in a single day. No large foundation like for conventional 400 kV poles is needed and the footprint is reduced from 64 m2 to 1.3 m2. They can also be transported easily via helicopter. Therefore, the poles can be placed in hard-to-reach locations or in places with high nature protection requirements.
3
power poles can be assembled and erected in one day.
400
kV and more is the transmission voltage for which the power poles are designed.
0.5
The power poles are about half as tall as typical lattice towers.
Beyond the ECP project, the support arms developed by PC have a wide range of possible applications. For example, many other compact power pole concepts are conceivable. In addition, it is also possible to retrofit existing power poles and thus increase the voltage level while maintaining the same pole size. Therefore, PC has developed a number of new technologies like e.g. new materials for sealing the inside of the composite hollow insulators. Also new joining methods for the connection to the pole are available, which can transmit high static loads and show at the same time very good fatigue performance.
The power poles of the future
Aesthetically pleasing, compact and erected in short time – this is how Composite Pylon intends to advance the grid expansion of the energy revolution. For the project funded by the European Union, Reinhausen Power Composites developed the support arms of the new poles. The support arms are made of hollow composite insulators with silicone housing. They bear the weight of the power cables and simultaneously take on the role of electrical insulation. They were produced at the French location in Cusset.
