Think of the utility pole, and most often, the wooden pole comes to mind. Whenever severe weather occurs, an age-old problem surfaces: the power supply to that part of the country is hit by outages and service disruptions.
Consumers expect solutions to be put in place so that the massive grid outages lasting extended periods can be prevented.
Moving Past Power Outages
Wooden poles have long been used to support electrical utilities. However, such poles are susceptible to damage from environmental factors ─ wear and tear, decay, wind damage, and severe weather events.
Although wooden poles can have a life expectancy of more than 30 years, many may have been around for 50 years or more. And, as is often the case, these poles are only replaced when they are damaged or destroyed by disasters, severe weather, or natural wear and tear.
Wood decomposes over time, so it must be treated with chemicals before use in the construction of utility structures. These chemical preservatives are applied to wood to increase its corrosion resistance. The major disadvantage to this is that these chemical coatings are toxic to the environment.
Once the wood pole is disposed of in a landfill, the toxic chemicals used in the coating will seep into the ground. The preservatives of today have been altered to provide less toxic conditions, but their use also shortens the life of the wood from previous standards.
Although this has been ongoing for decades, the issue of pole replacement and power failures lasting days, even weeks, came to the fore about 10 years ago. In 2011, Southern California saw strong winds that swept across counties and knocked over power lines, causing major power outages and starting a fire in another.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy unleashed devastating floods and winds, knocking down power and transmission lines across the East Coast of the United States, leaving more than 8 million customers without power. This brought complaints from consumers. Since that time, State Public Utilities Commissions (PUCs) have been seeking alternatives to wooden poles.
PUCs, as well as consumers, are long past waiting for poles to come down and for grid failure to happen before taking action. The PUCs want to see grid failure become a thing of the past. Enter the composite option as a solid replacement for the wooden pole and even cross arms. Composites ─ which are corrosion-resistant, have low conductivity, are light in weight, and have a longer life span than wood ─ boast significant advantages over the wooden pole.
A few years later, in 2017, after a massive windstorm, about 170,000 Rochester, New York, residents had to live in the pitch dark, without power. The New York State Public Service Commission and local utility service providers agreed to replace wooden utility poles with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite poles. With a $1.25 million budget, the initial costs were lower than the maintenance costs of wood poles.
In any case, inclement weather can cause wooden power poles to fall, knocking out power and posing a danger to drivers and pedestrians. This does not happen with FRP poles. Unlike wood, natural wood products can rot, warp, and decay over time due to sun exposure, moisture, chemicals, and even insects; FRP poles are more reliable and durable.
Composite poles are fire-resistant. They offer attractive advantages to utilities companies, especially those with service areas that include forests, brush, or a mix of both. Composite poles can be strengthened and customized to suit their intended use, enabling them to be manufactured specifically for the application. And the best part is that composite poles do not need chemical treatment before use.
Another advantage is that it can withstand damage from animals and insects. For example, woodpeckers can make holes (softball-sized) as they make nests, hunt for insects, and hide nuts.
Meanwhile, West Virginia University’s Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering conducted a study looking into the benefits of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite utility poles. The study found that “FRP poles will have higher strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios, better impact energy absorption and durability, improved design and manufacturing flexibility, higher energy efficiency in production, and safer environmental characteristics and will be more economical than the existing steel or concrete poles, or even with respect to the existing FRP poles.”
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, composite utility poles offer the longest life, lowest maintenance, lightest weight, and the ability to drill for easy installation. Currently, there are about 185 million utility distribution poles in North America. On average, about 2.5 million wood poles are replaced each year due to age, damage, and decay.
Strategic Advantages
Currently, such poles are used for satellite and radio antennas, and sit for wireless and cellular dishes. Since composite utility poles are hollow, many applications require utilities to run a copper ground wire up a pole.
The lightweight design of composite poles makes transportation and installation much easier, especially in crowded backyards and remote areas. Counties in hurricane-prone areas are exploring the use of composites to enable a quicker response to hurricane-damaged distribution circuits.
Composite products can be customized and made in different colors to blend with the terrain; for example, they can be placed between wooden poles in a transmission line to limit cascading failures, most often seen in ice storms. Even the steel pole that is used to support power and communication lines is being replaced.
In general, the utility sector is increasing its use of FRP composites each year. According to Electric Energy Online, “The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which publishes the National Electrical Safety Code, now officially recognizes FRP poles and cross arms in its utility industry codes. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 111 Design Guide, Reliability-Based Design of Utility Structures, now includes considerations for composite pole structures, and an ASCE committee is working on a revised Manual of Practice for FRP Utility Structures.”
Meanwhile, market analyst Lucintel finds that although composite poles, at this time, make up less than 1% of the overall utility pole market, their share is expected to grow at an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% to reach $318 million in 2024, up from $228 million in 2018.
Currently, power transmission and distribution make up about 71% of the global composite pole market. However, at 23%, lighting is projected to have a relatively higher growth rate, fueled by the replacement of traditional materials. In its 2020 report, Lucintel projected that despite an economic downturn in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the global utility pole market is expected to see an uptick in demand in 2021 to reach an estimated $53.3 billion by 2025 with a CAGR (from 2020 to 2025) of 3% to 5%.
If you have your own idea for a fiberglass profile, we can make it. Our experts have over 50 years of experience with FRPs. From unique designs to customized colors and patterns, we can make exactly what you need for your next project.
Get in touch with our team today to learn more.
